How to get diagnoses for BPD or Bipolar

[Coconuttree]

My dc was first hospitalised with psychosis 4 years ago. We (family) from our daily experience believe dc has either bpd or bipolar or at least more than autism. While dc was in hospital last time they said they need more observation to be able to diagnose so they wouldn’t be able to do it during dc’s staying. But this s very much affecting dc’s daily life. Dc will go through a period of a few weeks not sleeping much then a few weeks sleeping all days. Also dc’s extremely moody between high and low. Dc gets aggressive very easily and is very difficult to put up with at home. I don’t feel I can handle dc much longer.
How can our dc get a diagnose? How did others got their diagnosis?

Beg/borrow/self-fund for an asessment with a private psychiatrist. They will give their impression after first meeting your child usually.

You need a psychiatrist. Is he under the local community MH team? If not, you could ask your GP to refer you.

Thanks @FionaSkates but she s an young adult.

Thanks @Scutterbug , she is under a MH team who hardly see her!

Oh no problem then same principle, private psychiatrist will give an opinion and deal with meds. X

Will NHS accept private diagnoses?

Yes.

How much does cost to see a private psychiatrist in the southwest?

You would have to do some research- make some calls. I imagine it will be cheaper than London. In London it’s £350-£450(ish) for the initial consultation and £200-300(ish) for follow-ups.

It’s so unfair that you have to pay for this. I would be jumping up and down until the GP and MH team put the right support in place including appropriate diagnosis.

I guess she doesn’t have to; she just asked how to get a diagnosis. I agree it’s a sad reality.

She does if she wants the most appropriate care/medication/benefits for her daughter.

not always. speak to your GP and ask them directly. especially about their handling of privately prescribed medication. they may not be willing to continue a prescription if there is no follow on care with the private team. private prescriptions can be expensive. especially as a lot of MH medication can be trail and error. It's not common to get a BPD/bipolar diagnosis when a child though. and if its BPD there isn't a specific medication

going private will also push you out of the NHS system, so if youre on any wait list, seeing any support worker etc through the NHS mh team this will end.

Speak to your GP they may be able to recommend a private psychiatrist
mine was able to recommend one to me in the south east. their fees are

'The fee is £410 for the initial one hour assessment
Follow up appointments are £200 for 30mins'

also to add. going private you will have to pay for the psychiatrist and then a psychologist for therapeutic treatment. it is rarely that medication alone can treat serious mh issues

Could I ask what you hope to get from a diagnosis, OP?

You need a private psychologist to assess her.

Please note that psychosis is not a symptom of either Borderline Personality Disorder or Bipolar. Although some sufferers can report intrusive voices as if they were psychosis but it’s been said these are pseudo hallucinations.

Emotional dysregulation - high and low moods is part of autism as is a very active imagination and inner life,

As they have been diagnosed with psychosis, entirely possible to be autistic with
schizophrenia
psychotic depression

You DONT want a diagnosis of BPD as it is very stigmatising. I would not focus on wanting a diagnosis of anything, but rather a full psychological assessment by a clinical psychologist,

a psychiatrist is more for matching diagnoses to mediation and treatment and comes after psychology assessment.

I'm a mental health nurse, OP. See the GP and ask for a referral for community mental health team. Emphasise the symptoms, and be clear what the risks are.

As someone else said, BPD is not a label you want. It makes it harder to access meaningful support. There is a ton of stigma, especially within mental health services. It comes with labels like manipulative and attention seeking, and if there's ever a genuine crisis, it makes it very hard to get support.

Edit: looks like you're already under MH. You need to push for an appointment with the psychiatrist.

Sorry I should have been more clear. The NHS will accept the diagnosis. This is a massive burden off their waiting list for a Consultant Psychiatrist and saves them money.

Whether as pp says they GP accepts the prescription to be handed over and prescribed on the NHS you would need to ask the GP. They call this shared care.

Another good point is whether they want your daughter monitored on an ongoing basis by the private psychiatrist in order to keep prescribing the meds. Some are more accommodating than others.

Kind of assuming you had already done this before posting but make sure you have jumped up and down and shouted enough at her CMHT for her to see a Consultant before you go private.

xx

I'd perhaps push really hard for an assessment on NHS and save any funds for a good therapist to help develop emotional regulation etc. Dc may benefit more from learning emotional skills and distress tolerance from a skilled therapist than from a private psychiatrist. Good luck OP

Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. Found out from bitter experience

Yep sorry see my second post above! X

I'm just wondering why you put the emphasis on the need to get a diagnosis. It sounds like what you really need is for health professionals to recognise that more help is needed.
I don't think that getting the right label is always the most important part of assessing and responding to need. I know from family experience how desperately we do cling to the idea of a definitive diagnosis, but realistically it doesn't open up whole new pathways of support.

I would agree with those above, don’t push for a BPD diagnosis. It is stigma central.

I do not believe that labelling your daughter as abnormal will benefit her. It will be flagged up on every system for her life from that point including with the police. It is used primarily by abusers to silence their victims and that is how the diagnosis came to be. Not really a diagnosis more of a sentence which will harm your child for life.

BPD or EuPD as it is now referred to, is a very difficult, complex and devastating mental illness, and your comments are stigmatising and unhelpful to both sufferers and their friends and family. And quite honestly, as a mental health nurse, you should know better than to voice this opinion.
My adult child has EuPD and their life is so difficult, I see them struggle daily to manage their emotions towards themself and others, and to try and live a ‘normal’ life. I wish more than anything life was easier for them.