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?

Hi there,

I had a dual dx of schizoeffective and BPD 15 years ago......now, things have moved along a bit in the dx of certain disorders, so my understanding may be archaic.....

The schizoeffective bipolar type? I am not familiar with.......I mean, I thought bipolar can have a psychotic component of a severe manic episode, but psychosis does not exist on its own, like in schizophrenia. And hypermania as in the term used for rapid cycling bipolar is not generally used with regards to BPD. Mood swings, although hugely extreme with BPD, do not follow even the chaotic pattern of hypermania. In saying all this I have been hospitalised with psychosis......so was that from a severe swing in the BPD symptoms or the schizoeffective? No clue and I never really questioned it.

Babe, I don't know if I am helping here, but I am not surprised that you are terribly confused......can I ask if you are taking meds? Sometimes the meds you are taking can give you a clearer picture than what is happening than the dx! If you get what I mean......

So sorry if I have been useless in my translation.......but always know that you are welcome here, no matter the dx or what it means.......I mean, it took me years to understand the chemistry of the brain, psych language and how it all related to me.......so don't get too frustrated if you do not understand straight away. Maybe someone will better be able to explain......

Take care, and I hope to see you again......

Michah

Just a PS......I was also dx PTSD(and I will probably be booed of the stage for this) but I never really paid much attention to that dx, only because I thought 2 was enough to deal with at any given time......maybe to my detriment as I am back in therapy dealing with terrible fear and hyper-vigilance......which is one of the features of PTSD, but also Borderline.......so who knows? I know that they are completely different illnesses, but I read somewhere that they are thinking of listing this disorder under the PTSD spectrum, not the personality disorder spectrum........professionals hate the term "Borderline" for it is a little ambiguous even though we know that is the "borderline" between neurosis and psychosis. It is enough to bend your head more than the dx.......

Michah,

Thank you for taking the time to respond to me. Lets see, where do I start? I have never truly had a hypermanic episode, only hypomanic, no quite to mania. I experience psychosis in the absence of any change of mood. I am currently taking meds. I am taking Risperdal and Lexapro. Currently the doses are so low that they are accomplishing nothing. I must admit that I too have discounted PTSD at the time because I have been busy trying to wrap my head around the rest of the Dx. And I wholeheartewdly agree with the aspect that the term borderline is very ambiguous.

I would seriously consider getting a new diagnosis with these results and at the very least if this was me I would be asking the psychiatrist where he sees the Borderline personality disordered symptoms. that way you wont have to worry about trying to fit yourself into each and every symptom of the disorder, that in itself could cause you major stress and problems.

if it was me I would also be asking him why he is calling borderline personality disorder an axis III diagnosis when on the multiaxial scale axis III is for medical conditions such as those things you will find on this link about axis III diagnosises http://psyweb.com/Mdisord/DSM_IV/jsp/Axis_III.jsp

Axis II http://psyweb.com/Mdisord/DSM_IV/jsp/Axis_II.jsp is where you will find personality disorders.

maybe even have a second evaluation with another psychiatrist for a second opinion may help. maybe the second psychiatrist will be more willing to discuss your having borderline personality disorder.

amanda,

Thank you for the input. I will have to look further into this. That is a very good question that you have posed. I will ask my psychiatrist about this as soon as possible. Thanks