Is a diagnosis really nesseccery?

The only reason I made an account on this forum is to ask this question. (I'll be 18 in a week, just to add.)

Is getting a professional diagnosis of BPD really needed if I know that I have the condition? I found out about BPD from a friend who had it, and decided to take quite a few BPD tests on the internet. All of them strongly suggested that I see a professional for BPD, however, I disregarded it. Everyone told me that BPD was an extremely serious diagnosis, and I told myself that it's probably just my depression (also self 'diagnosed') giving me all of the feelings that I was (and still am) experiencing.

So for a while, I forgot about it, until last week.

My psych class in school was discussing personality disorders, and BPD came up. I decided to take the online quizzes again, and got the same results that I did before, but this time, I really thought about who I am, and how I reacted to people and the environment around me. It was so pathetic.... because I've been alone in school for so long, and I just told myself everyone around me was to blame. Finally, I came to the conclusion that I was at fault, but didn't know how to handle it.

Not only that, but one of the main things I learned about BPD is a sense of not knowing one's self, so I tried to describe to me to myself..... I couldn't, but it wasn't some teen "still trying to understand who I am" kind of thing, it was literally painful that I couldn't think of a single solid way to describe myself. I know that BPD is a very serious condition, and that self-diagnosing can be very unreliable, but I'm not an idiot; I've done my homework on BPD AND myself, and know that I've come to a correct conclusion.

So with that, is a professional diagnosis of BPD or ANYTHING else I may have really nesseccery? All that will happen is the docter will make me take some meds and send me on my way, which I can go without.

Now that I think about it, I may use these forums more, just to know how to deal with my other problems. I'm always desperate for someone to talk to, and there's people here who probably will be up for a chat .

Please, give me your honest input on what I should or shouldn't do, I wouldn't self-diagnose myself with something like BPD unless I was absolutely sure, and it gives me a little bit of comfort to know what may be wrong with me.

Yes. Because there are many types of borderline disorder, some of them need heavy medication also.

Hi Lightfromthedark421

For me Yes...

A diagnosis has helped me understand why I feel so much pain everyday, why I hurt others around me and why I seem to be "crazy". After being diagnosed with depression for over 10yrs things seemed to be spiraling out of control and the hospital visits have been increasing. I was going out of my mind, believing I was going "crazy" and that I should just give up on life. It was until I fully opened up to my psychologist that she begin to "quiz" me - leading to a diagnosis of BPD - that I felt like a weight has been lifted and I can now move forward with treatment and getting better. Granted it's not the diagnosis I want as it's a horrid illness but it's better than questioning ones self over and over again.

I strongly suggest seeing a professional if you believe you have any mental illness. I think that the constant fretting over "do I, don't I" is extremely stressful to the mind.

Open to talk more if you like...

I wanted to add this before, but the reason I want to avoid a professional diagnosis so much is because my parents don't suspect anything is wrong (I still live with them.) When I was a little kid, I told my mom I felt depressed (not aware how severe it was, or would become) and she laughed in my face. Because of that, I've lost hope of them ever taking whatever may be wrong with me seriously. If I do decide that I should get a professional opinion, how should I go about doing it?

When I was a little kid, I told my mom I felt depressed (not aware how severe it was, or would become) and she laughed in my face. Because of that, I've lost hope of them ever taking whatever may be wrong with me seriously.

Who says you have to tell anyone you have been diagnosed? If you were to talk to a professional they should be able to work through this with you. They should be able to work through a way for you to deal with your mum and empower you with the ability to not feel bad about how others (esp your mum) reacts to the diagnosis.

If I do decide that I should get a professional opinion, how should I go about doing it?

It depends on how it works in your location. I was referred to a psychologist by my GP and the diagnosis went from there.

Yes, I think so. It's life affirming. You also don't go through the "do I, don't I", or, "I don't really have this I'm just kidding myself", or "I'm just a bad/lazy etc person" crap. It helps to eliminate the self-doubt which is an aspect of BPD, and doubly so if you have a 2ndary depressive disorder along with it. Also it forces you to accept it, as well as makes others have to accept it as reality. Also importantly as one person has already said, some require medication (mine does) and also if one ever plans on going to some type of therapy they have to know what to treat and/or focus on. Also, if you go to a therapist or end up switching doctors which I think most people have to at some, or multiple points of their lives you don't have to go through "So what makes you think you have borderline." constantly. If it's in writing, by a doctor, they take it seriously upfront. Also, people either current are, or do, or at some point might go through a serious bad patch and need to get on some form of benefits. That's a really good thing, actually, as along with everything else it will keep you out of hospital-prison. If you have temporary benefits you don't have to feel forced to "check in." Man, I am personally never doing that.

Now that I think about it, I may use these forums more, just to know how to deal with my other problems

but it wasn't some teen "still trying to understand who I am" kind of thing

it was literally painful that I couldn't think of a single solid way to describe myself. I know that BPD is a very serious condition

You are your problems.

Use this forum...........infact use all of life, to understand yourself.

Definitely worth getting an official diagnosis now. If I'd gone to the doctor when I was 17/18 then I could have learnt ways of coping with my condition a lot sooner and I might not have had all the real cr$p that's happened since.

Once you're officially in the system then you can get help - and that's not just taking a bunch of pills because meds can only help with some of the symptoms sometimes. If you do have BPD, then it's therapy that will help give you life skills that you are going to need to get through the rest of your life. If you leave things as they are, you may find yourself years down the line with poor interpersonal skills, no friends, no partner, no job and feeling suicidal. That might sound a bit OTT but it's where I found myself aged 28. Well, my partner hung around for another 2 years but eventually he had to give up on me too. Now I spend a lot of time wishing I'd gone to the doctor when I was 17 and first felt properly depressed, self-harming and suicidal.

Your mum doesn't need to know that you've been to the doctor or anything that you don't choose to tell her. You've been put off telling her you feel depressed because she laughed at you once (it may have been more, and other things she's said too). But I know that if either of my kids came up to me and said "I'm depressed", I wouldn't know how to react. I might laugh out of sheer surprise (although I'm hyper-sensitive about not belittling my kids emotions). If you didn't go back and say, "no really mum, I feel like this and this and that", then she quite likely thought you were making a joke. If you're anything like me, then you can appear 110% on the outside but feel like -100% on the inside. Try not to judge her on that one reaction (which I KNOW is really hard, near impossible, if you do have BPD - it's the whole "they said/did this therefore they're a bad person". Tip from my therapist - try thinking of 3 nice things about people you think are bad. It's hard, but you can come up with something. Same for people you think are great, there are things about them you can hate too - doesn't mean they're all good or all bad is what I'm trying to get across.

Twistedmister wrote:

Now that I think about it, I may use these forums more, just to know how to deal with my other problems

but it wasn't some teen "still trying to understand who I am" kind of thing

it was literally painful that I couldn't think of a single solid way to describe myself. I know that BPD is a very serious condition

You are your problems.

Use this forum...........infact use all of life, to understand yourself.

Twistedmister, I'm not sure your post is very helpful and/or understandable, can you elaborate? I only ask for my own self curiosity

well, based on what everyone is saying, I guess a diagnosis isn't that horrible, even though I'd have to organize how I'd get one. at some point, I'll eventually decide to see a professional, but for now, i'm pretty sure I'm not out of control and can wait on it.

that answers my question, so thank you all for the help