[learningtolive]

First I want to say hi to everyone, I just signed up yesterday.

My questions:

Do people find difficulty in getting good, or the right kind of treatment for bpd?

Also, do those of you who have been told you are borderline have extreme depresssion and or anxiety?

I was told I have bpd (along with depression/anxiety/PTSD) the beginning of this year. I started a DBT outpatient program which ended in June, then started a program consisting of DBT group one night a week, and a weekly therapy appt. with the DBT therapist.

I'm not sure its helping.

Any thoughts? I'm just getting so frustrated!

Thanks for any insight!

[ggtina]

I'm in denial of bpd but have been diagnosed with it. Also have been told i have bi-polar no official diagnosis yet on that one. I suffer from depression to. Sucks!

DBT has helped me in the past when I had intense 1 week course on it 5 + years ago. I am waiting to see a Secondary Therapist on Friday of next week. So I can attend a two week class 80 hours total in an outpatient setting. Hoping it helps a little.

I would try sticking it out and letting the therapist know of your concerns that you dont think it is helping.

[gashly]

I am in a dbt group, and feel like it's not working either. I've been talking to my therapist and am starting EMDR to try something different. I'm not sure if I will continue with this group or not, or if I will try to switch to another, though I've promised to stick it out for one more module to see if there is still no improvement. I really don't want to though cuz I'm pretty fed up. Will have to talk again to T and see next week.

Maybe ask your therapist or group leader if they are seeing improvement that you can't see yet?

[MisanthropicOne]

I was diagnosed with BPD, major depressive disorder (recurrent) and generalized anxiety disorder... a lot of words to carry for almost 20 years. I've been hospitalized a few times. Completed 14 months of DBT with mixed results.. I see my case manager, psychiatrist and therapist regularly. I have my moments..

Im pretty much at a loss as to what I should say.. so yeah, your not alone.

[ECHOES]

Welcome, learningtolive

I have never been in DBT but I have been in other Behavioral Therapies that were not very helpful at all - CBT and REBT. I have seen posts by others who were helped very much by DBT. We're all different.

The most helpful to me is my current therapy. I researched types of therapies and decided that I wanted someone analytically oriented. I contacted the nearest Psychoanalysis Training Institute and got a referral to someone in my community who was at that time a candidate (student). Students in Psychoanalysis training are already therapists, and are learning psychoanalysis. My therapist has been a therapist for 30 years.
Anyway, my therapy is Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic. I am helped by the close and supportive therapeutic relationship and by her helping me to know and understand myself so much better. She's helped me learn what fears are the root of so many of my issues. Since I tend to not want to 'look' at myself, to be able explore that with her and in the accepting and respectful relationship is wonderful.
My therapy has helped me to not become so overwhelmed that I meltdown as much as I used to, and I hope that continues to improve. It also helps me to understand others, so important! As I understand myself, the human-ness of myself, I can also better understand others. So those are some ways my depression and anxiety are helped by my therapy.

[Forgive77]

DBT is helping me, and I just talked to my pdoc last session about EMDR. I'm intersted in giving it a try!! Good luck!!

[Diversion]

I am positive that I have BPD but when i mentioned it to my psychiatrist, she kinda shrugged it off as something to keep an eye on maybe. Of course I've only seen her a few times but I wasn't very happy with her passivity on the subject.
I am on Lithium 300mg twice a day for Bipolar and I think it has helped the mood swings quite a bit. Not sure if it helps with BPD or not though.

[eclogite]

Originally Posted by Diversion

I am positive that I have BPD but when i mentioned it to my psychiatrist, she kinda shrugged it off as something to keep an eye on maybe. Of course I've only seen her a few times but I wasn't very happy with her passivity on the subject.
I am on Lithium 300mg twice a day for Bipolar and I think it has helped the mood swings quite a bit. Not sure if it helps with BPD or not though.

It could also be that she doesn't want to push a diagnosis on your interaction. A diagnosis reframes the situation and she could be more interested in focusing on your specific issues in your therapy. It's a unique diagnosis in that there are so many different combinations in the catchall category.