Do I have a PD? *MAY TRIGGER

There's a section for PD NOS already but it seems to be very quiet and I'd like as many responses as possible from people who know about general Personality Disorder criteria, I'm not specifically asking whether or not I have Borderline in particular, just any or NOS in particular.

So here's the skinny: I just came out of a pretty major bout of psychiatric illness that lasted all of 2011 that included during autumn mania and in winter psychosis, and I've been really shaken since it ended. I'm 19

Since around December I and others have been noticing changes in my manner, in how I speak to people, my mannerisms, my behavior, my morality. On my side I've seen that I've started behaving somewhat manipulatively, I lie more, I'm attention seeking, rude and very blunt, I make people uncomfortable on purpose and use odd almost shakespearian mannerisms, I'm very dominating in a conversation when I'm comfortable, when I amn't comfortable I'm cold and distant.

My mood has become very unstable and fleeting, changing by the minute dozens of times per day everyday, rarely rested or easy, though never hypomanic or majorly depressed. I engage in self harm, which I have only done irregularly before.
My self image is bollocksed and has been for over 6 months, I have terrible opinions about my own weight and face.

And this all sits sort of well with me, it's all "egosyntonic" I'm totally alright with it, it feels like it's me or part of my ideal self image, even though it's sort of making it hard to get a job or finish my education, and it certainly isn't making me any friends since I have such odd ways of going about getting to know someone.

It's sort of like a mix between BPD, Schizotypal and stuff I can't place.

What say you?

PD is something you experience throughout life, you can't develop a PD suddenly from psychotic illness. What I'd say, is that if you have experienced a psychotic break, you're going to feel messed up. It depends what caused your psychosis/mania etc.

There are both psychological and biological explanations out there for psychosis. When it comes to PD you have to look at your personality before the psychosis and any underlying issues you might have managed to dig up, that might help.

Psychosis doesn't mean schizotypal - it could mean a few choices of PD+ extreme stress/breakdown. or it can be caused by other things. PD does tend to cause mental illness though. Schizotypal would be if you have experienced schizotypal symptoms throughout your life.

People with PD can also experience intermittent stress-related psychosis.

Phonic wrote:I've started behaving somewhat manipulatively, I lie more, I'm attention seeking, rude and very blunt, I make people uncomfortable on purpose and use odd almost shakespearian mannerisms, I'm very dominating in a conversation when I'm comfortable, when I amn't comfortable I'm cold and distant.

If these are changes, no, they're not necessarily direct symptoms of PD unless they're other things that have been repressed by other layers of PD coming out, but if that's the case you would have felt like saying them before but might have refrained due to PD related issues, for example, anxiety/paranoid thinking/desire to maintain an appearance, etc.

Phonic wrote:And this all sits sort of well with me, it's all "egosyntonic" I'm totally alright with it, it feels like it's me or part of my ideal self image, even though it's sort of making it hard to get a job or finish my education, and it certainly isn't making me any friends since I have such odd ways of going about getting to know someone.

You mean it feels more like you? Sorry, i'm struggling to understand all that, lol. "Ideal self-image" might have something to do with possible PD if you mean what you percieve as that, if what you mean is closer to "real feelings about things" might have something to do with breakdown of possible PDs. But if things are making it harder for you to get a job or complete your education (if these are things you want/need to do,) it sounds like you need to look into some of this stuff and try to figure it out?

No one here can tell you if you have a PD, especially with lack of information on how you thought/felt/acted before your psychosis and mania.

You know better than any of us do what you feel. That's one reason why people can't diagnose people from internet posts - not just detail, but also there's a lot more depth to people's issues than observations.

What's going on underneath is most important in figuring out what's going on, can only get that when there is an active 2 way conversation where people can check/double check, question, ask what you mean, how you feel etc...

Sorry its hard to answer this!

Some clarification: PD does indeed come about due to previous psychiatric illness, and PD does not occur throughout your life, just throughout your adult life as it has with me. PD is an adult illness, it is rare to see it in children, very rare.

I was pretty different a year ago but you're right, this is useless.

She means it comes from a life experience, so it develops into your adulthood. It doesn't just pop up from nowhere out of a sudden psychiatric illness.

You need to see a professional really if you think you have a PD. Even us with PD's, can't really help you any further.

It didn't exactly "pop up" from a sudden illness, I had been ill - at times very severely - since I was 16 continuously, and I'm coming out of it now with this sort of messed up personality and co.