Seeking answers. RE BPD

Hi @CM70 welcome to the boards. First up I have Bipolar 1 and schizoaffective disorder I know nothing about BPD other than what I have read about here but my gut instinct says that you could flip from Extroverted to Introverted. In saying that have you got a good psychiatrist or know of one who would take you on? That above anything is the most important thing for your diagnosis.

My psychiatrist has always said it is not the label that is important it is the appropriate treatment for the various symptoms displayed by the patient which is vital. gp

Thanks for respose Greenpea. I am currently seeing a psychologist who is going to sit in on my next psychiatric review. Due to side effects I have been off medication for about 3 months. Understanding I find more helpful than treatment and am a very independent person, probably as result of BPD and the way I see myself (I know myself better than anyone else), I find it hard to ask for help even when I need it.

My question relating to Introvert and Extrovert switching or degredation is based soley on self observation of myself. Hostility was once directed outward, more so on medication where as today is inward focused. I held stable employment for 16 years prior to me diagnosis, yet can't comprehend the thought today. I was out going but today very withdrawn. I am not anti social but hate social situations. The internet is my best friend. 🙂

@CM70 Well CM70 if the internet is your best friend you will fit in really well here :D!! Keep us posted how you go at the psychiatric review. Will be interesting how that goes. Also there are many threads on the forum about BPD so have a look around. We have many social events like our Friday Feast where we all get together which is wonderful for us who are socially isolated so keep that in mind. Maybe one of the moderators could take a note of your name and give you the heads up then.

Anyway nice to meet you and best with everything and again welcome 🙂

Hi @CM70,

I'm Flipper, one of the moderators- Welcome to the forums!

It sounds like it's been a bit of a whirlwind the past 4 years. In some ways a dagnosis can be useful for someone because it can help explain the things they have been feeling, but on the other hand, where you feel that a diagnosis doesn't actually capture all of your experiences I understand it can leave you feeling quite confused. I really like how @Bunniekins mentioned it can be more beneficial focusing on the specific symptoms rather than the label or classification itself in that sense.

As for your introvert/extrovert question I think that it's great that you're aware of yourself and your traits, and again these can sit on a spectrum and are not necessarily unchanging 🙂

I hope you find the forums helpful! For future reference here is the link to the Friday Feast that Greenpea highlighted is quite fun each week!

- Flipper

Hi @CM70,

Welcome to Forum Land.

You mentioned that you've read articles that suggest that someone with BPD can be high function, low functioning, transparent, Extroverted or Introverted. These are not formal categories of BPD. Indeed, I would suggest that these are simply descriptions of types of people. That is, a person with BPD, just like any other person, can be low functioning, high functioning, transparent, extroverted or introverted.

So, leaving aside the BPD bit, it sounds like you are asking whether a person can shift from being extroverted to being introverted. It makes sense to me that they could. Personality theorists tend to be divided about whether personality is fixed or whether it can change across the lifespan. The latter makes much more sense to me.

It sounds like you are working super hard to figure out what is going on for you. The most reliable source of information regarding mental health issues is the Diagnostic and Statistical manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). This is the book that provides the formal diagnostic criteria for mental illnesses.

Hello Cat girl. Sorry for delay responding and thanks for your reply. I have met with psychologist and discussed with her my thoughts on possible BPD. She gave me much the same advice that it isn't so much the label, but the symptoms.

In the DSM V I meet 6 of the 9 criteria for BPD.

I have appointment with psychiatrist on Feb 2, which is mainly for medication review. Psychologist coming with me in case I forget things or can't explain myself too well.

I have finally started to receive some help that Psychiatrist recommended in Nov, mainly with lifts to the shops fortnightly to help with shopping. I don't drive as I don't trust myself behind the wheel of a car. Split second anger could be disasterous. I call this self control, lol.

When I left psychologist I again looked for more answers as she reaffirmed that I definately have PTSD. I found for the first time reference for self harm due to PTSD. It was under a heading labelled Chronic PTSD, very similar to what I found on BPD. I will discuss this with psychiatrist too.

I am getting help from Red Cross now who think I may be eligible for assistance through NDIS, which should make DSP easier. Fingers crossed.

Stress is a big factor to how my days go, at the moment dealing with 2 very troubled dogs. They are 8 and 9 and both suffering. They may need to be put down, which really hurts. Nights are plagued by sleeplessness and restletness. Hard falling asleep, hard staying asleep and when I do it is just a repeat of nightmares, past traumas. Quality of sleep and consecutive nights of sleep are lacking.

Thanks for your wishes and will try to update here after I see psychiatrist on the 2nd February. I'm not looking forward to medication as they have all had bad side effects in the past. Some makes angrier, some zaps my energy, some makes me ill and some makes me pass out or depletes my energy. I have been on 6 or 7 different meds. I don't want to be on medication for life. I joke with them saying the only drug that I feel has made me "normal" is LSD. They laugh but never prescribe it. For some reason though this seemed to make my mind think quicker than my mouth throws out words I often regret later. It removes the emotional effect of stress, if that makes sense. In a stressful situation that would normally result in conflict, it has the opposite effect. I feel like I have time to think first and have managed to avert trouble. It also gives me confidence that alcohol once did.

Well thanks again and i keep you posted.