ADHD/OCD/BPD

[grcxo]

this is such a hard topic to talk about, im all for mental health but when it comes to opening up about my own, i feel like i’m being dramatic or silly.

i’ve recently self diagnosed myself with dermatillomania, which comes under the OCD bracket.
i pick at my skin without realising, to the point where my face and shoulders are covered in scars. i don’t realise i’m doing it til i’m literally bleeding. my face is covered in cuts and scabs. i feel like it’s something i should just stop, but it’s something i’ve done for 10-15 years (i’m currently 26). half the time i don’t notice i’m doing it. and i’ll only do it when i’m stressed., bored or driving. my mental health has taken a MASSIVE decline recently, and at times i often scare myself 😔
i’ve booked an appointment to see my doctor next week, but in the meantime i’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of looking into mental health. and after all the digging in i’ve done, i feel strongly connected to borderline personality disorder(bpd), and inattentive adhd. the symptoms that show are all insanely relevant and accurate to me to my life and the problems i’m having.

is it possible or common to be diagnosed with more than one mental health condition?

i know it’s probably a silly question, but don’t know if i’m being dramatic.

im just so lost in myself at the moment, im really struggling & i just want to know what’s wrong with me. i have a son, i can’t be feeling like this forever😔

this is quite a long message. so if you’ve managed to read through this all, then thank you❤

It is absolutely common to have more than one thing, as they can be inter-related in various complex ways. Mental illnesses are more clusters of symptoms such that we often see them together. I personally have ADHD and fought with OCD until I got good treatment.

I would recommend joining some support groups hosted by someone like OCD action. I believe they have dermatillomania specific support groups that get together on a call once a month. You will be able to hear from people at various points in their journey towards (or after) recovery. This was one of the most useful things for me when I was coming to terms with my situation

It is more common that you would think for someone to have more than one mental illness. I myself have Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety, and CPTSD. However, I know from experience that self diagnosis is not necessarily the best route to take. By all means read up on things. But take your thoughts and concerns to a professional and let them do what they are good at and diagnose you.

Be kind to yourself.

this is what concerns me, i’ve put off seeing a gp about my mental health for so long. i went to my gp when i was about 17/18 and was put into group counselling. but especially now i’m older, i feel like seeing a gp about mental health could be a dead end. i worry that they will fob me off and leave to me to go about my day to day business as it is as it’s not a physical condition.

Your GP shouldn't fob you off. If they do, see another one at the same clinic. Truthfully, it took me a while to find a GP who I gelled well with at my local clinic. A good GP will not turn you away though.

Truthfully though, the waiting lists are long, and through your GP is the only way to get on one. So going as soon as possible is the only thing that will make the wait shorter.

It could be related to a MH condition or it could just be a bad habit.

See your GP and see what happens.

Hey, just wanted to say hope you're okay, it's not easy having any mental health issues they're all debilitating in their own right. I'm also 26, was diagnosed with BPD 4 years ago, now awaiting to be assessed for ADHD. Yes you can have dual diagnosis, but also a lot of mental health issues can overlap each other so it's really hard to know without pushing to be under a mental health team who can carry out these assessments for you which I strongly advise! I have two kids under 5 so can relate, it's important to get the correct support x