Dealing with BPD and being trans

[Umiko]

idk if there was a post on this but kinda need advice here. just made the discover that having borderline personality(was diagnosed about 2 years ago) and being trans is putting me in a conflicting state. has anyone dealt with this and if so, how did they go about it. i see my psychiatrist monday to discuss the fact BPD has resurfaced and discuss the possibility of being treated for BPD and not bi-polar. i just want to do this right this time so i can finally bury this restlessness in the dirt.

[Ms Grace]

Based on what I understand about BPD and from what you've said of your history, etc it seems like a sound diagnosis and I'm happy that you are happy to have found this as an explanation for what upsets you. Transition by itself can be chaotic enough, so I can imagine that combined with BPD it might become a very unsettling process. Hopefully your psych will be able to guide you through the process. The best advice I can give is, if they are safe and you trust them, do what your psych recommends - they have your best interest at heart.

[Bombadil]

I don't have BPD, but I have had a lot of the behaviors. I've been Dx'd with cPTSD and other mental health issues. And yeah, going through transition brings a lot of stuff out. It's a time to really focus on coping skills and using your support system.

Have you been through DBT? Are you on the right meds to manage your issues? What support of support do you have?

[Umiko]

DBT was the first thing i was thrown into after i got the diagnoses. it was eh at first and than i got into it but what happened after, well, i got stubborn because my trans feelings starting surfacing because DBT focuses a lot on outward looking inward so you really see yourself from a third party perspective. so basically i thought it was the BPD's fault and i just buried it along with everything else and just said i'm just being bi-polar and that was it.

[Umiko]

i keep finding myself reading over BPD and after reading some more of the list of criteria, i'm finding myself marking off symptoms though. as of now, i only have about 3 of 5 symptoms need for a re-diagnoses and i could ask everyone around me and they say the same. this is all to weird. what a tricking illness indeed. i'll see what my doctor says. i need to be put on proper meds anyways, i just dont want any counteraction or being misdiagnosed again

[Umiko]

anyone know which anti-depressants wont counteract with hormones? just need to know so i can ask my doctor to try me on those instead of going back on my old pills

[androgynouspainter26]

Onyx,

I've been on a few anti-depressants since starting HRT; Wellbutren, Lexipro-the list goes on-and none of them have had any interference with my hormone regimin.  Just ask your physician.  They should be able to help.

Also, as someone who has been diagnosed with BPD, mild bipolar, and a hundred other things depending on the year (this year is depression!), let me offer you this advice: In the long run, it doesn't really matter what your diagnosis is.  The key thing is to treat the symptoms you're experiencing, and that is usually how treatment plans are enacted.  What issues are you having, and how can they be addressed-that's the question that's most worthy of focus.  Bi-polar is just a name for a set of symptoms, as is borderline personality disorder.  What really matters are the issues you are experiencing: mood swings, depression, dysphoria, or anything else.  Focus on those.  Not on labels.  Your life will be a lot easier.

[Umiko]

thnx AP. right now, i'm just dealing with the emotional instabilityand the inability to see if my doctors and therapist are actually helping me when i know they are but yet it still feels as if i'm being ignored parts. other than that, my depression is manageable as well as the other symptoms. my psychiatrist has no idea on GID so i'm sorta worried, thats why i ask what meds wont counteract hormones so i can ask him for that anti-depressant.

[androgynouspainter26]

I know exactly how you feel, I'm half there myself right now.  I don't know where you are, what resources you have access to, etc-but personally, having a psychiatrist/therapist with real experience working with transgender people has been more helpful than I can say.  What's the point of working with someone if they can't even understand a very significant part of what you are going through?  I tortured myself for the better part of a year just by seeing someone who didn't get what I was talking about, I'm still sort of reeling from it.  Sorry that this is half me venting...but yeah, you know what I mean.

[Umiko]

my resources are very limited where i live. i was lucky to find a psychotherapist who has knowledge and expertise in GID and who was actually within walking distance from me which was a a huge relief. i was thrown from doctor to doctor. basically, i'm a up a creek without a paddle because everyone here is dumbfounded and dont know what to do

[Umiko]

i wonder if i can give a short and to the point info to my psychiatrist o: wonder if he;d understand it

[androgynouspainter26]

Well, the psychiatrist is usually supposed to be an expert, not the patient...Finding someone was a real pain for me, but I can't imagine what I'd do if I wasn't in a major urban area.  I suppose that's all you can do if those are the resources you have-what I'd do is come up with a topic-by-topic plan, either on my own or with a therapist or something.  But educating them is the first step, I guess...I wish you the best and hope it works out.