- Subscribe to RSS Feed
- Mark Topic as New
- Mark Topic as Read
- Float this Topic for Current User
- Bookmark
- Subscribe
- Mute
- Printer Friendly Page
Not sure how to bring up I might have borderline personality disorder
Hey,
So this is really hard to talk about. I think i might have BPD (borderline personality disorder) i display a huge amount of symptoms and have been researching it a few months now.
I don’t really know how to bring it up to my therapist and how to go about it. I want to talk about it but I feel like it’s embarrassing or i’m being dramatic- as my family labels me whenever i’m struggling or upset
the main things i’ve been experiencing which led me to look into things was:
- incredibly low self esteem, i really hate myself but there’s maybe an hour every couple days where i’m happy but it returns to just feeling terrible
- really insecure about myself and my relationships
- can’t regulate my mood properly and i get upset over really stupid things
- always thinking everyone i know actually hates and that eventually everyone is going to leave me
- mainly with relationships- being super happy and then like not long later feeling really hurt and angry even though literally nothing has happened
- extreme paranoia, some hallucinations (sound, not sure what it’s called sorry) and insomnia
It’s just a lot, it’s affecting me really negatively. I feel terrible and guilty for feeling like this 😞 i feel like i need to prove myself too, i don’t know why i wrote a whole list but yeah HAHA
I want to bring it up to my therapist but really don’t know how to go about it. I feel like she won’t believe me or something, which is silly but yeah.
Ive gone through trauma and traumatic experiences and stuff, and have some PTSD so that could be a factor. I also struggle with food stuff a lot
I just wanted to get this off my chest, and ask if anyone had any advice dealing with symptoms or helping me tell my therapist or my partner in the future.
thank you
Comments
Firstly I would like to say thank you for reaching out and sharing your story, you mentioned that this was really difficult for you to talk about and so I commend your strength.
I hope that your therapist has cultivated a safe enviornment in which you are able to be vulnerable with them. Even if this is the case, I understand that you may feel apprehensive to share your thoughts as your family typically dismisses your concerns and choose to label you instead of addressing your needs. That being said, I definitely encourage you to share these thoughts with your therapist to bring you some peace of mind. It sounds like its been really tough carrying these heavy feelings inside you. You can start off your session by stating the thoughts you have been experiencing, you could say something along the lines of, "Lately I have been experiencing X symptoms and have done some research on what I am feeling, I think that I might meet the criteria for borderline personality disorder, could we explore this further?" Your therapist should definitely be able to make sense of your concerns and hopefully provide the help you need 😊
In the case that you do not feel safe enough to share this information with your therapist and sense that you will be met with judgement, I urge you to change your therapist if possible. There is absolutely no room for a mental health professional to be dismissive of your concerns 😊
It is unfortunately common for parents to be dismissive of mental health. I sense that the way your family has labelled you as 'dramatic' and 'embarrassing' has changed the way you see yourself. You are not dramatic nor are you embarrassing for the way you feel, I commend your self-awareness and drive to transform your situation.
I wonder if you have been able to manage your symptoms through this time? I truly hope you receive the help you need, looking forward to hearing from you 😊
Hey @Suspicious_Stegasaurus ,
Welcome back to ReachOut’s Youth Community and thank you for sharing what you are going through. I can see how hard this is for you to speak about and share, which shows how courageous you are for doing it anyways. It is really admirable and appreciated!
Another thing to note here is that you’re connected with a therapist, which is amazing! It’s also incredible to hear that you’d like to discuss these concerns and potential disorder with your therapist, but have some worries on how to, and the response you might receive. You should be really proud of yourself for trying to find a way to approach your therapist about this. It can be really tough, so how you’re feeling around this is completely understandable.
I can hear that you’ve been affected negatively by what you’re going through, leaving you feeling guilty and terrible. Have you spoken to any family or friends about how you’re feeling? If you’re looking for additional support, I encourage you to contact Kids Helpline who are a support service that offers free 24/7 phone and online counselling for young people aged 5 to 25. I am also curious to know how you have been taking care of yourself during this time? Have you been able to do any self-care activities?
With what you are experiencing, I am wondering if you have seen your GP about this? It also sounds like you have been struggling with food recently and I imagine this would be tough to manage with what you’re experiencing. I encourage you to connect with the Butterfly Foundation who are a national support service that offer free and confidential counselling for anyone in Australia concerned about eating disorders, disordered eating, or body image issues. You might also find it helpful to have a read of this article on What is Borderline Personality Disorder, and this topic on Personality Disorders.
An email was also sent out to you to check in with you offline, so please keep an eye out for it.
Hey @Suspicious_Stegasaurus ,
Welcome back to ReachOut’s Youth Community and thank you for sharing what you are going through. I can see how hard this is for you to speak about and share, which shows how courageous you are for doing it anyways. It is really admirable and appreciated!
Another thing to note here is that you’re connected with a therapist, which is amazing! It’s also incredible to hear that you’d like to discuss these concerns and potential disorder with your therapist, but have some worries on how to, and the response you might receive. You should be really proud of yourself for trying to find a way to approach your therapist about this. It can be really tough, so how you’re feeling around this is completely understandable.
I can hear that you’ve been affected negatively by what you’re going through, leaving you feeling guilty and terrible. Have you spoken to any family or friends about how you’re feeling? If you’re looking for additional support, I encourage you to contact Kids Helpline who are a support service that offers free 24/7 phone and online counselling for young people aged 5 to 25. I am also curious to know how you have been taking care of yourself during this time? Have you been able to do any self-care activities?
With what you are experiencing, I am wondering if you have seen your GP about this? It also sounds like you have been struggling with food recently and I imagine this would be tough to manage with what you’re experiencing. I encourage you to connect with the Butterfly Foundation who are a national support service that offer free and confidential counselling for anyone in Australia concerned about eating disorders, disordered eating, or body image issues. You might also find it helpful to have a read of this article on What is Borderline Personality Disorder, and this topic on Personality Disorders.
An email was also sent out to you to check in with you offline, so please keep an eye out for it.
Hope you are ok! I am really sad to hear you are feeling this way, but I want to say that it is completely normal to be experiencing some of these things. But also I think it is great that you have this self-awareness and know when to seek professional help. We are in support of you!
It is really easy to fall into the trap of self-diagnosing, and I only think it makes you tend to feel bad/shameful. I am currently undertaking research on people self-diagnosing, BPD especially, so I can understand your train of thought. I would really recommend seeking a professional psychologist because personality disorders are very hard to diagnose and there is an incredible amount of misinformation out there!
I definitely think seeking a professional opinion is the way to go. This way you will receive accurate advice that can really help you, and not leave you guessing.
I just want to say that no matter the outcome or any diagnosis you receive, you are not alone. So many people experience what you are feeling, including so many of my closest friends. Whether it is a personality disorder, bipolar, etc, there are countless numbers of people with these disorders who live perfectly normal and healthy lives.
Hope this helps!