Hi,

This was a great post to read! Thanks for that. I was diagnosed with BPD 6 years ago but had been struggling for years and years before that. The diagnosis has been both a help and a hindrance. The idea of full recovery is very relevant to me right now. I am just at the end of a group programme and the topic is now recovery and relapse prevention. I asked myself where I'm at and I now believe I am in the recovery phase, basically because I can now recognize how ill I have been in the past. I hope to remain on the path I am on now, although I still have a long way to go and alot of behaviours to eliminate. What concerns me regarding the diagnosis is I have recently been told that you cannot do certain jobs with the BPD diagnosis, i.e train to be a teacher or possibly other jobs with kids because they would ask for your medical records. Of course you don't have to consent but that would look weird. I have heard that you need to be rid of the diagnosis and stable for 2 years before you can be a teacher (I know this from someone in the group who used to be a teacher). I am so tempted right now to lie to my psychiatrist and try to get them to remove the diagnosis for this reason. But of course if I then desperately need them or the crisis service, I will be screwed. So I guess my only hope is to really, truly recover to the extent that I do not meet the criteria anymore. It is wonderful to read your story and gives hope to me that I can recover too. Thank you