Since BPD is most often diagnosed when a person is a young adult and improves with maturity, then can a middle-aged person be diagnosed with BPD?

Can a person's life become structured and the person respond well to that enough so that he/she doesn't notice the symptoms so much, then at a different point in their life have the symptoms return?

I seem to be there right now.

[Rapunzel]

Yes, that happens a lot, I think. People with BPD are usually very intelligent, creative, resourceful, etc. and quite often are able to pass through much of life struggling but not letting anyone see how they struggle. We can fall through the cracks and not be noticed. Although the patterns that end up being called BPD are established by early adulthood, it might not be diagnosed until a later age. Structure does help make it easier to hide too, so if you lose structure things get harder and the patterns emerge again.

Thank you very very much. You have such a kind way of talking about it and I appreciate that.

I do think this is what happened.

I guess I could see it as a gift, that the structure was lost so I could have the chance to get better.

I have been trying to figure this out for a while now. I think structure is a key. It came to me by way of child and job and my child is now raised and my current job is very unstructured.

Thank you Rapunzel !!

ECHOES

[PetulantWolf]

yep. thats what happend to me too. Husband died and dx'd at 40.

hugs.

[AlteredState01]

Me too!! Once I had lost the structure in my life, everything else crumbled very quickly.

I had no idea that I was struggling with any disorders at the time; all I knew is that life itself was a miserable waste of time, in my mind.

AS

[Direction]

Structure is the key - without it I'm lost