a bit confused

hi there, i'm new here.
I don't have many friends to talk to, or to confide with, and i feel very confused about what is going on in my life. I am 37, and a single mother, also work as a nurse.
I havent been diagnosed with BPD, but i was referred to mental health by my gp, after a few years on antidepressants( not working...) i started to self harm. I had my assessment with a mental health nurse the other week( im from the UK), and she asked me if i was looking for a diagnosis...i said i just wanted to know what's wrong with me, so she said it sounds like emotionally unstable personality, but she will have to speak to the psychiatrist and they will "come up" with a diagnosis??? I really don't understand the criteria she used...I only just recently started to think that maybe afterall i Do have a problem, and have been all my life in denial...immagine that!!Well, i guess that is one step forward, even if that doesn't stop my anger, paranoia, fear of abandonment, incredible mood swings etc..
Working as a nurse, i always thought that once you know the correct diagnosis, then you can start the correct treatment, but i just don't understand the system here in the UK.

Hi!!!

I know nothing about the inner-workings of the healthcare system in the UK, but haven't heard the best stories from anyone about the mental healthcare. I do wish you the best there...

There are 9 criteria out of the DSM that you have to meet 5 of, to be considered BPD. You can view them on wikipedia by putting in the BPD term in the searchbox. I don't personally condone any websites (except for our forum, LOL - because it has been the place for me to find a home for myself), but the wikipedia one is the one that I found the most literal without being too wordy, or too dulled down for an idiot to understand.

And you sound pretty intelligent (which we usually are :0).

But I must say, welcome to the forum. I found myself on here, and think you might feel comfortable taking a poke around. I hope that you'll find everyone very encouraging and supportive, as we are each others' hands to reach to when we're hurting, happy, confused, sad, shy, loud, etc.

It's a difficult thing, living with this, but the good news is that it DOES get better. :0)

Best to you! Again, welcome!

AMP

meerkats wrote:hi there, i'm new here.
I don't have many friends to talk to, or to confide with, and i feel very confused about what is going on in my life. I am 37, and a single mother, also work as a nurse.
I havent been diagnosed with BPD, but i was referred to mental health by my gp, after a few years on antidepressants( not working...) i started to self harm. I had my assessment with a mental health nurse the other week( im from the UK), and she asked me if i was looking for a diagnosis...i said i just wanted to know what's wrong with me, so she said it sounds like emotionally unstable personality, but she will have to speak to the psychiatrist and they will "come up" with a diagnosis??? I really don't understand the criteria she used...I only just recently started to think that maybe afterall i Do have a problem, and have been all my life in denial...immagine that!!Well, i guess that is one step forward, even if that doesn't stop my anger, paranoia, fear of abandonment, incredible mood swings etc..
Working as a nurse, i always thought that once you know the correct diagnosis, then you can start the correct treatment, but i just don't understand the system here in the UK.

Look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotionall ... of_Disease That's the criteria they're looking at.

It sounds like there's a little less stigma about the disorder where you're being treated, and that's good. Here, the word "Borderline" is like using a swear word.

hi, thank you for your replies and for your kind words. x

Hi meerkat
I'm from the UK, and yes, it's emotionally unstable personality disorder. Which doesnt really mean a lot because among the professionals they basically know it's BPD anyway. It's just that you can tell people and they go ohhhh and then they research it and find out it's BPD, so we're back to square one.

I think someone posted a list of criterias and you have to fulfill, I'm not sure however many. Treatment wise, there's not a lot of options - you may be offered DBT, depending on which area you are in, and you may get a psych to see for medication, but you just have to make sure you stay in the mental health system, often times, you fall through the net like I did, and then your get offered nothing.
There are a few residential places for treatment, but there are criterias you have to fulfill before you get offered it. With the budget cuts, Im not too positive about what is out there, but you just have to stay persistent. I'm sure you know what it's like. Oh and btw, welcome.