[lostandscared54]

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?

[spiritual_emergency]

Diagnoses seems to slide back and forth on a spectrum. It's not uncommon for people to be diagnosed with one thing and then, as the cluster of presenting symptoms changes, diagnosed with another.

Some people find it comforting and empowering to have an official label for their experience, some people don't or don't really care what the label is as long as they feel that any treatment approaches are helping.

Your best bet would probably be to discuss the matter with your doctor. Between now and then it might help to chart whatever symptoms you are having or have experienced since all psychiatric diagnosis are based on symptoms. You can match them up yourself with symptoms and then discuss the matter in more depth with your doctor. Hopefully, by the time you leave their office, you'll both feel more confident that your current diagnosis is the appropriate one.

~ Namaste

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[lostandscared54]

thanks. I do need to prepare for my meeting with the doctor