So Iām still seeking to have my BPD diagnosis removed from my health record coz...
Somehow, despite my exhaustive description of events that led to the circumstances I had presented with, the psychiatrist managed to overlook CEN and C-PTSD.Ā
You see, as a fellow woman who happened to be experiencing mood swings, it must be that I had a personality disorder rather than... Oh, I donāt know, let me explore a little more so I can get a clearer idea of these complex issues youāve presented with.
Nope, just straight diagnosis. But ykno, itās the NHS, you get what you pay for I suppose.
So, I want this shit off my record.
1. I spent far too long relating to content which, yes I did relate to to some extent BUT a lot of which was rooted in very different and easily explicable reasons such as:
2. Presenting as an intelligent young working woman who was well kempt and self-aware, it was never for a moment considered that there may be any other element at hand like, say, oh, I donāt know - a neurodevelopmentalĀ ādisorderā
3. The overwhelming number of therapists I saw who failed to ever pick up on:
- a) My significant (to a point of damn near defiant) lack of eye contact
- b) The CONSTANT stimming (not to mention that I even attended many appointments with fidget toys before I even considered that I was autistic or knew I was stimming)
- c) The constant lateness to EVERYTHING, the missed appointments, theĀ āI forgotsā the I never seem to get anything done
- d) SERIOUSLY THE FUGGEN STIMMING
- e) [in relation to b & d] The exaggerated use of hand gestures whilst speaking and the manyĀ āoddā positions I would find myself sitting in
- f) The difficulty in finishing a coherent thought without trailing off and theĀ āless than commonā word choices I employed as well as somewhat strange manner in which I speak
- g) The varying speeds/volumes/tones/and LITERAL FUCKING accents that would slip out during speech
- h) The clear display that I was looking at and taking in everything LITERALLY EVERYTHING in the room
All of which was actually clearly indicative of likely neurodivergence and, in actuality, were displays of the functions of ADHD and [entirely likely damn near definite] autism I ACTUALLY have
4. It was easier to sum up as young woman + abuse + mood swings = personality disorder BECAUSE AUTISM AND ADHD IS FOR THE MALES
5. The BPD diagnosis impacted a significant familial matter which could have been avoided had I been adequately assessed.Ā
6. I have to KNOW what I am experiencing in order to request assessment and diagnosis pretty much exists in relation to the scope of my initial theories, ergo: thought I had bi-polar - got diagnosed BPD.
7. Autistic women and those with ADHD are FREQUENTLY misdiagnosed as borderline or bi-polar (so seriously FIGURE IT OUT how could they not think to consider that
8. My academic excellence and advanced mental age/maturity + lack of personal relationships and intense interests were a clear indication that I was not of theĀ āaverageā neurotypical type mind you would expect to see presenting with a personality disorder. It should not have been assessed as such. This was NEVER taken into consideration.
All in all, I am uncomfortable with my current diagnoses and what it had led to. I spent a lot of time relating to content and people within the BPD community (nothing against that or them) BUT when you relate to a BEHAVIOUR or FEELING and you have ALSO experienced similar abuse/neglect as is typical of that community, it results in coming to the INCORRECT conclusions about WHY you are experiencing and responding to life as you are.
Read: Impulse behaviour rooted inĀ āavoidance of negative feelings and seeking positive outcomesā seeming like it fit my individual case when in actuality - Impulse behaviour as a result of adHd [the Hyperactivity in particular] resulting in anĀ āantsyā state which is sated in the impulse decision to LOOK AT PRETTY THINGS and COLLECT THEM ALL (throw in a dash of Autistic special interest in apparel, put two and two together and Bobās your fucking uncle wouldyalookatthat!)
Read: Self-harm as a means of punishment or gratification - actuality: as a reaction to sensory overload and a means of counteracting painful stimuli.
Read: Intense anger, emotional outbursts - actuality: sensory overload, meltdown; ADHD rage attacks/irritability
Read: Dissociation as a result of escaping feelings - actuality: catatonia due to sensory overload
Read: Instability/mood swings - Actuality: Autistic sensory overload; ADHD hyperactivity - impulsive component, under stimulation = increased irritability = mood swings
Anyway. I have a real uncomfortable association to BPD. and, if I am entirely honest, I feel that - though I did learn a lot in my journey of trying to manage what I believed was BPD - I also caused myself some harm along the way. Believing the way my brain is hardwired was something that I could retrain and, even more harmful in nature, rejecting certain aspects of myself that I actually should have been learning to accept as part of my brain function and embracing in order to learn how to navigate life WITH these components rather than forcefully controlling them in a bid to bend them into some factory style notion ofĀ āidealā that I was intended to strive towards in order to consider myselfĀ ārecoveredā.
My entire approach to self, to healing, and to understanding has changed. Developed beyond belief. As a result of finally understanding that the intensity of the emotions I feel, the hyperfocus, the stimming, the ways in which I connect (or fail to connect) with people, the impulsivity, the meltdownsĀ
- all understood and being managed in a way that itās worlds away from the BPD experience.Ā
And most significantly of allĀ
Learning that the extreme emotions I feel are with me for Life. Accepting that I will always be subject to experiencing sensory overload and that there are ways to manage it that donāt involve trying to rationalise thoughts and feelings but rather recognising the elements that have caused the overload to prepare for or avoid them in future, as well as attending to the need in the moment.Ā
Itās an entirely different understanding of self. And I spent the better part of five years on the wrong path.
All coz I was given a label with no consideration as to what else may be at play.Ā
I am comfortable with my understanding of self now. And I am confident in my ADHD diagnosis as well as my understanding of myself as an Autistic woman.Ā
I just want the diagnosis gone, because it has done more damage to my perception of and approach to self than good and I no longer wish to carry that inaccurate definition with me.