[samj40]

I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 15-16 (about 11-12 years ago now), but I never received any treatment for it since the doctor was only visiting.

I had a lot of trouble with staying in school ever since I was 10-11 years old and I dropped out entirely when I was 15. I could never get homework or assignments done and I failed every single class except for art and agriculture, all because I couldn’t do textbook work. On top of that I’ve always been ‘on edge’ and prone to anger outbursts and I talk and fidget all the time.

So skip forward about a decade and I’m still having all the same issues, except now I’m sporting a diagnosis of BPD because I’m so frustrated to the point of tears a lot.

I accepted my BPD diagnosis to begin with but I’ve gone back to school now and I’m finding my old ‘habits’ are making things hard again. I’m being told off in class for being too loud/talkative, I can’t sit still during the drier lessons, etc. I’ve only been in school for a month and I’m already failing the theory unit because I can’t focus on the work.

I’m starting to think I’m NOT BPD but rather that my old pdoc was right. How do I bring all this up with my current doctor? I want to pass this course I’m doing, but at this stage I just want to drop out because it’s overwhelming already. She didn’t even want to put me on antidepressants or send me for therapy, how can I bring this up without her going “lol it’s your BPD though” and thinking I’m making stuff up?

[Nike007]

Hello. I'm sorry about the difficulty you are having in school. Maybe you can ask the doctor if they can look at your old records. Usually, if not always, doctors will record diagnosis, and if you were diagnosed as a teenager, they should still have that information, even if you changed places because all old records are sent from one clinic to another.

Or if you are comfortable, then tell the doctor directly that you were diagnosed with AD/HD as a kid, and ask them to redo testing for it to check if you still do have it, because 50% of people who were diagnosed as a kid with AD/HD don't have a diagnosis anymore when they become an adult. I'm not saying that's you, but you should check just in case so you aren't treated incorrectly. I hope you find the help you need .

[Skeezyks]

Hello samj40: I'll say, right off the top, I don't know the answer to your question. Personally, I just consider all of the various diagnoses mental health professionals give us to be pigeonholes which are mostly of use to them. Every mental health professional I've ever seen has had a little different take with regard to what was going on with me. I'm not on med's anymore. I do still technically have a pdoc. But I see him once a year now just to keep my foot in the door, so to speak. One thing I do like about him, though, is he never tries to push anything on me. He'll make suggestions. But it's always up to me whether or not I want to take him up on them. He's also never given me a diagnosis. I presume there's something written down in my file, for insurance purposes. But he's never shared it with me. And I haven't asked.

In reading your post, I wondered if you have shared, with your current doctor, in as much detail as possible what you are experiencing in school. From my perspective, this would be important. However, if she just wants to act like she knows everything & what you know is simply fodder for a good chuckle (i.e. "lol it's your BPD"), then my perspective would be that you need a different doctor. You, or your insurance company, or whomever are paying this person to help you. And if you're failing in school as a result of old habits flaring up, & all she can come up with is "lol it's your BPD" that's not much help. When your life is on fire, you need someone to help you extinguish the flames! Anyway... these are my thoughts. I wish you well.

[elevatedsoul]

hey, you should definitely bring it up, should tell your doc everything so you can get the best treatment

i dunno if bpd can be mistaken for adhd.. but you can have both
Borderline Personality Disorder Demystified - Symptoms of ADHD/ treatment in patients with borderline personality disorder.

maybe your records are still there, that would help, if not then might can get him to evaluate you for it..

do you want to drop out because you are having difficulty with the work?
or is it more related to the other people around you?