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GonePirateSenior Contributor
i encourage you all to join me for some casual drinking, social lubrication and light laughter right here in the beer garden.
Oh and before anyone gets up in arms about alcohol and its dangers the main beer on tap is VB or virtual beer
beer is the third most commonly consumed drink in the world behind water and tea
why not share the worlds joy with friends
In response to: The Beer Garden
Faith-and-HopeSenior Contributor
Hi @Former-Member .... 🌷💜
Sorry it has taken me a little while to get back to you .... it's earlier over here in the west and I had to feed my tribe ... 😜
I have a few observations and a few questions ....
First of all I think you articulate what you want to say really well. It's probably shyness that is making you think otherwise. I hope writing on the forums is helping you gain confidence in expressing yourself 😊
Next .... did writing all of this down help you ? Did you find it helped to clear your head and make it easier to understand what you want to sort out with your therapist ? I sense that the answer to what you were asking was coming to you as you sorted through it to write it down.
It does seem to be a very long time in between your first sessions with this psychiatrist in 1998, and first hearing the diagnosis she had made in 2014. Probably that would be the first question I would be asking of her .... why did it take so long to reach this diagnosis ?
It also sounds as if you are having trouble relating the BPD part of the diagnosis to yourself. Do you think she meant that you have aspects of BPD without meeting the full diagnosis of BPD ? There are two "levels" of bipolar .... (apologies if I haven't said that very well) and it would seem to me from meeting people here whose pdoc has said they have aspects of BPD that perhaps in future there may be a BPD-1 and BPD-2. Have you asked her outright why she believes this is your diagnosis when you don't feel you match the traits that are usually associated with BPD ? I don't know enough about it, but perhaps there are different presentations of this condition, and you may fit with one that isn't like what you would expect. It sounds like you are wanting to feel comfortable within any diagnosis you have, which is what I assume I would want, and if there are different presentations of BPD, you might feel more comfortable with the diagnosis if you feel one of the presentations is a "correct" fit.
To me, the whole point of a diagnosis is being able to gain from it, being able to understand what it means that you need to support yourself going forward, and what allowances you need to make to avoid circumstances that are troubling for you. To use an analogy, if you had a severe nut allergy, you would need to understand which nuts you react to, and to what degree .... whether you needed to be carrying an epi-pen, and which social situations you would need to be very careful in. You would also want to know whether you can outgrow, or de-sensitise from the nut allergy.
Is this helpful @Former-Member ? Does it help you have more confidence in how to ask your therapist about the things concerning you ? I can hear and understand what you want to have clarified, and I can hear your sense of hurt and confusion. I hope you receive the answers and support you need from her.
🌷💕
In response to: Re: The Beer Garden
AppleblossomSenior Contributor
Or was it BPD - Borderline Personality Disorder? @Former-Member
I had an incredibly intense attachment to one psychiatrist in the late 80s early 90s. It was more about my need than his healing ...
Maybe keep a journal and tally your feelings about therapuetic relationship ... and if you are feeling ready to make a shift .. Some therapists think 4 years is enough with one person ... it is a really individual thing .. no right or wrong .. Maybe they feel they have the right to "challenge" us for our own good??? I dont know.
Use the experience to decide what you do want in a therapist now you are older and wiser .. go shopping for one .. Another person has whole lot of other attributes to bring to the process ... not just counselling trix of the trade.
In my opinion all diagnoses are on a spectrum.
In response to: The Beer Garden
Faith-and-HopeSenior Contributor
@Lostboy
I stopped to feed my tribe, and now the thread has run ahead, so this reply is behind the times .... lol ... but I am glad you are feeling more confident and comfortable with the processes and outcomes here. If we can just dilute any stigma that causes trouble, it's so good that people are become more aware of the reality of mental health issues, and how to support and accommodate them.
In relation to my situation, it seems that empathy is all anyone can offer, unless they have been where my hubby is themselves and can relate personally enough to the struggle and recovery path to advise me .... but even then, there are so many variations within eating disorders ..... it's another area of mental health that needs to be more widely understood and recognised. I'm sure it will come, and people like my husband, who exist outside the mould, may help break down the stereotypes in the longer run.
🌷💜
In response to: The Beer Garden
TABSenior Contributor
Neil Young on ..anyone still up ? ok beers all round .. woo hoo 
In response to: The Beer Garden
KurraSenior Contributor
In response to: Re: The Beer Garden
TABSenior Contributor
okay what about a honey and hot milk? @Kurra
In response to: The Beer Garden
Unknown userMember
In response to: The Beer Garden
Unknown userMember
In response to: The Beer Garden
pipSenior Contributor
In response to: The Beer Garden
Unknown userMember
Help us push aside the stigma and discrimination surrounding complex mental health and change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.
SANE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
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Help us push aside the stigma and discrimination surrounding complex mental health and change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.
SANE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
SANE values diversity. We are committed to providing a safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive service for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.
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