New diagnosis... worst case scenario

mossanimal · Oct 25, 2016, 07:52 AM

So I was diagnosed 'atypical bipolar' based on my last attempt on my life (which happened during an out of control temper tantrum), family history of depression, addiction, etc, and my tendencies toward obsessive and changing interests, creativity, frequent job changes...with long spells of depression and suicidal thought. Well this past weekend I had another major breakdown... a psychotic, destructive thing where I broke a lot stuff.

Well... It looks like they might be changing my diagnosis to borderline personality disorder and this is devastating to me. A bipolar diagnosis was almost comforting... it is something fixable and romanticized (however falsely) in the media and literature. Byron!!! Problematic but with long periods of stability.. and maybe even some great benefit in hypomania. But BPD seems like a hopeless mental handicap with no break and no real cure. I'm already such a difficult person to live with.. but the bipolar diagnosis was a light in the dark for myself and my wife. I'm afraid that when she learns more... she will just want to give up on me.

Unrigged64072835 · Oct 25, 2016, 08:27 AM

I have both bipolar and BPD. BPD gets a lot of stigma (even worse than bipolar), but it is treatable and manageable. It does take a lot more work.

Oct 25, 2016, 08:48 AM

While I think labels are good for helping you find the right treatment, labels don't matter much at the end of the day. They only help steer your pdoc in the right direction, and they are not necessary for getting well..

So focus on getting well, not on the label. If your BP meds help, then keep taking them. And the good news about all this is, DBT can help you a lot if you haven't tried it yet.

But you're always welcome to continue posting here

Oct 25, 2016, 10:11 AM

I've heard that BPD is fixable....it's something curable but takes time and therapy. Bipolar is forever. (((Hugs)))

st0psign · Oct 25, 2016, 10:16 AM

bipolar doesn't have a cure either... and actually bipolar and BPD have a lot of symptoms that overlap. and at the end of the day its just a label, that's all. there are meds and therapy for both. its not the end of the world, I've got some BPD traits too.

HALLIEBETH87 · Oct 25, 2016, 10:29 AM

I was diagnosed with both but now I show no sogns of bpd

mossanimal · Oct 25, 2016, 12:57 PM

Thanks folks.. well I'm a silly goose. I just returned from my pdoc and she said that while I have a few BPD traits.... it's just not me. They see a lot of BPD folk there and I just don't fit the bill...... they think my last issue was the Zoloft/Lamictal/Alcohol combination. They say I'm textbook bipolar.

I should have been more clear in my initial post. I basically self-diagnosed BPD and just assumed they would agree.

I know better than to worry about labels... but I still do.