So Confused...

I am so confused. I am diagnosed, currently, with Schizoaffective disorder (bipolar type), PTSD, and borderline personality disorder. My psychiatrist recently told me to read up on borderline personality disorder. Due to BPD being my Axis III diagnosis, it has been the least discussed with both of my pdocs. So....as I was told I looked up BPD and read up on it. Now I have a conundrum. My question is regarding the mood swings that are inherent to BPD and the fact that I have never truly had a fully blown manic episode. I have nearly been hypomanic and not sleeping. Would it be wrong for me to believe that I have been misdiagnosed and that I do not have schizoaffective disorder and that I really have schizophrenia and the afffected mood comes from the BPD?

That is a very good question you have posed. In view of the doc telling you to read up on bpd it might not be a bad idea to take this info back to him and ask if it might be the case. There seems to be overlapping in presentations of many psych disorders. If he is not open to this perhaps a second opinion would be in order.........
Wishing you an answer for this - it does so help when we know what we have then we know what we can do with it!!

It's tough because there are so many overlapping similarities between BPD and bipolar. Borderline has mood swings but not necessarily psychosis (hallucinations, etc.) I think most docs are hesitant to tell the patient that they have a personality disorder, esp if it's narcissistic or anti-social.

So if yours told you, he/she must think your BPD has traits that better explain some of your problems. However, there are types of bipolar that do have mania or psychosis at either end of the spectrum as well as high anxiety from lack of sleep.

My dx's are Bipolar, PTSD, and anxiety. I have had hallucinations (verbal and visual) during extreme depression and lack of sleep, but those went away after the triggering event of the hospital trip faded from the forefront of my memory (2-3 months later).

Just some thoughts.

Thanks for the input thinker. I am confused about your last sentence though. Can you further explain what you mean about this triggering event of the hospital trip?

Sure. The hospital trip itself was traumatic and put me over the edge even though I was already having suicidal ideation and high anxiety.

After the arrest and forced trip, although they let me go, I had a paranoid fear that I'd either die very soon by something or that they'd drag me away again. I was hearing a voice and seeing a menacing dark shape in the hallway.

I see. Glad that you are doing better. Thank you.

One other point, please. Not all mania has psychosis. That is why I was not diagnosed bipolar for over 20 years. The mania was mistaken for periods of high functioning. It, unfortunately, was followed by nosedives into deep depression. THOSE were recognized and medicated. Not a good thing. It only served to exacerbate the next mania. Ahhh, what a joyful life. NOT.

thanks for sharing