by neurhope » Sat Jun 19, 2010 12:50 am
Hi. I was recently diagnosed with HPD, and I can tell you that all that diagnosis means is that I met five of eight criteria after a subjective test. The way people on this forum talk about people with HPD is without compassion; you talk about them like they are monsters--evil, nonempathetic, and caring only about themselves. I have empathy, I genuinely care about people, and I have not done any of the following behaviors: cheating, lying, or dumping someone and moving on quickly to someone else. If I am dumped by a man, I am the one suffering and unable to function; he moves on fairly quickly to another woman. Also, if a boyfriend asks me to adjust a behavior because it infringes on his life, I do so; I genuinely want my boyfriend to be happy. Individuals are not their diseases; they are people with a wide range of behaviors within the disease. Although I know within that I am a good person, after getting this diagnosis, I am full of shame, self-loathing, and a lot of pain, and reading stuff like what is on this forum makes me feel even worse about myself. Please understand that nobody chooses to have a disease. I have also had boyfriends who did not give me feedback that aligns with the way people on this forum talk about people with HPD. I can only do the best I can do.