Quote from: nerdychick on December 18, 2009, 08:36:50 PM
I'm rapid cycling myself - my ups and downs are a few hours to a day and are sometimes but not always triggered. I wonder if the disorders are on the same continuum... my initial diagnosis was atypical mood disorder but from what I'm told that's synonymous with bipolar not otherwise specified.
There seems to be a lot of similarities between Borderline and Rapid Cycling Bipolar. My psych doc says many borderlines are usually called Bipolar at first. Both Borderline and Bipolar both share the mood disorder spectrum. My doc said one clue is if you're being treated for bipolar and the treatment isn't helping much. Ie, they put you on a mood stabilizer, like lithium, and the lithium isn't working like it should. It can be hard because Borderline and Bipolar share a lot of things, especially the mood cycles. There are differences between the two, however, that are used to diagnose the differences. All or nothing, or black and white thinking is the major one -- it's a type of thought distortion that is common in borderline. Borderlines might not always be aware of it; even doctors sometimes don't realize it unless they have the right training.
My psych doc at the hospital, who specialized in borderline, was able to recognize my borderline very quickly. I've had other psych docs in the past who haven't been able to, however. My current psych took a long while before she clued in after doing research and up date training while on maternity leave... before that she was going along with rapid cycling bipolar that past doctors said. After looking at her notes, she was able to see it, as well as after talking with me.
Some doctors don't even want to deal with "borderlines" 'cause of lots of misunderstanding and stigma. For example, when I went to the hospital after trying to hang myself the on site doctor dismissed my attempt because of her mis-belief that borderlines only lie and look for attention. I then was sent home still suicidal and five hours later I was back in the hospital with an OD. Her misunderstanding almost cost me my life. If I were taken in for a couple of days to stabilize, then I probably wouldn't have OD and possibly died. The truth is, that suicidal thoughts and attempts can be very serious in borderlines and a big warning sign. Also, "lying" and "seeking attention" is also a misunderstanding, and an untruth about the disorder.
A lot of it has come a long way with recent research trying to piece together what borderline really is and isn't. A lot has changed over the years with the diagnosis. There's also a lot of doctors who aren't up to date, and there's still a lot of misconceptions about borderline floating around. Like above, it can (and has) cost lives, as well as being given ineffective treatment. Ineffective treatment means suffering and a higher risk for borderlines. Sadly, good treatment and good doctors familiar with borderline can be hard to find. Treatment here, for example, is lacking.
In some places, borderline was also used a junk diagnosis in the past, so some still don't want to take it seriously (although it is very serious). Just as bipolar and schizoaffective have/are been used as the waste basket diagnosis by doctors who don't know what they are doing, and decide to throw a label on someone that they don't know how to treat or help -- these waste basket ideals, product of uninformed and lazy doctors, 'cause more harm than good leaving people with incorrect treatment.
Even the term "Borderline Personality Disorder" is being debated at the moment. The psych doctor at the hospital I went to, who also specialized in it, said he didn't like the term. He liked to say that it was a mood disorder and an adjustment disorder.
Post Merge: December 19, 2009, 02:11:08 AM
Oh, and fun fact: Princess Diana was BPD (Borderline).
