Stop self-diagnosing yourself with mental illness, but most importantly, personality disorders, especially if you’re under 18. If you’re 15 and you think you have BPD, newsflash: most 15-year-olds exhibit BPD “symptoms.” It’s part of the insecurity and self-doubt that comes with being an adolescent. The same goes for any type of bipolar disorder. Stop trying to sound special by telling people you have these disorders, especially when you’ve not even seen a psychiatrist about these issues. If you have not been diagnosed by a trained professional with the legal ability to do a thorough diagnosis on your mental state, DO NOT TELL PEOPLE YOU ARE DIAGNOSED. That being said, if you are mental hygiene arrested and you go through triage, CPEP, whatever you call the examination process, and the hospital “diagnoses” you with a/disorder(s), DO NOT go around boasting that diagnosis. My psychiatrist and all of my many therapists I have been with have told me: The hospital staff does not know you closely enough to be able to effectively diagnose you with mental disorders. Mental diagnoses take TIME and a PRIOR KNOWLEDGE about the patient. Your three-hour psych eval at your hospital is NOT sufficient knowledge to base a sure diagnosis on. See an actual psychiatrist regularly over an extended period of time if you feel you may have a mental illness.
This kick has been ongoing for YEARS now, and I’m SO sick of it. Mental illness is not COOL, it is not QUIRKY, it is not CUTE nor SPECIAL. It is TERRIFYING, UGLY, and SERIOUS. I don’t care HOW sure you are that you have a mental illness, IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN OFFICIALLY DIAGNOSED BY SOMEONE WHO KNOWS ENOUGH TO DO SO, YOU DON’T GET TO GO AROUND TELLING PEOPLE YOU HAVE THAT MENTAL ILLNESS.
