My Support Forums - View Single Post - If you could have told yourself advice prior to diagnosis what would that be?

thickntired · Jun 19, 2014, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waggiedog

Hello dear thickntired. Oh your post made for interesting thinking! I have had serious mental health issues for the last 33 years, they were long dark horrible years and not just for me but for my poor family. I was hospitalised a number of times but I was given the nice label of ''attention seeker'' and ''time waster'' .................... fast forward to under four years ago and I was finially diagnosed with BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) a nasty little number which is the most destructive misunderstood disorder. OK, BPD wasn't really mainstream back those 33 years ago but I'm very glad and relieved that it is known about today. There's no ''cure'' or even meds specially for it but DBT and a programme called S.T.E.P.P.S helps a great deal. In my group therapy I'm trying to guide the very young people who are in turmoil as I once was. I still have severe eating disorders and suicidal depressions but on the whole I'm better off having reasearched everything about BPD! HUGS and LOVES, as ever. XXXXXXXXXXX

Hi Waggie dog,

I have been dealing with mental illness for around 30 years as well - good times

I was in a partial hospitalization last June and the classes were all about DBT. I will look up STEPPS. I think it can be a helpful tool for anyone. I became friends with a girl in there who had BPD, and I felt so bad for her because like you she said there were not a lot of options for treatment. My pdoc gave me the book "I Hate You, Don't Leave Me" to see if I could relate because he thinks I also have BPD. I didn't read it because I'm so sick of adding to my laundry list of diagnosis.

I think that's great that you're helping people. I always feel for the younger patients because I've been down that road and know where it leads. No offense, but a word of advice. Don't deflect or loose sight of your problems by helping others. Through AA I had really hard lessons. I can't change a person and my influence may fall on deaf ears. I had to learn when to move on after putting in my 2 cents and not feel guilty if they lived in self-destruction.

tnt