Lived Experience Forum

[kato]

Hey Everyone in forum land.

I saw my new psychiatrist hmmm a couple of weeks ago now, is it common to have a diagnosis of Bipolar and borderline personality?

I am curious because i know for me, i have been diagnosed with bipolar, my new psychiatrist is also talking borderline, and i know i have issues in the past with drug induced psychosis..... can 1 person have multiple diagnosises?

And if so, how do you treat multiple issues? sorry if the last question is against rules

[Mosaic]

Hi @kato and thanks for posting such a great question.

Yes – Sometimes, people can live with two (or more) diagnoses that co-occur at the same time. In some circumstances, a person’s original diagnosis may be reassessed, and an updated diagnosis can be given.

In your situation, it sounds like you have just started seeing a new psychiatrist who is still getting to know you? They have tentatively suggested BPD, but this is not yet official - is that right?

There can be a certain amount of symptom overlap between different diagnoses. For this reason, sometimes clinicians may deliberate for a period of time, as they get to know you. Bipolar and BPD do have some similar features (e.g., impulsivity, fluctuations in mood), however they are categorised as distinct disorders in the DSM-5 (that’s the big, fat book that clinicians refer to when making a diagnosis).

Every individual is amazingly unique and beautifully different… and for this reason an accurate diagnosis can sometimes take some time. This can be frustrating for some people, but it's important to let our treating mental health professionals to take the time they need to ensure they're 'getting it right'.

If a person does receive a new or additional diagnosis, people can still of course receive treatment. What exactly this treatment would look like could vary considerably, and would vary according to the needs of the individual.

SIGH… Wouldn’t it be easier if mental illness was just like when we break our leg, we could just go and get an x-ray?! Put on a cast, let it heal, and then be on our merry way! But then again, I kind of think the mystery behind the human brain is one of the reasons why I love psychology as much as I do 🙂

@kato have you discussed with your psychiatrist the concerns you have about potentially receiving a change to your diagnosis? It is important you feel informed, so remember to ask lots of questions if you need to.

[Appleblossom]

There is a fair bit written about co-morbidity or more than one diagnosis.

I dont know if we are inventing fancier names for the human condition but I really like @Mosaic response to your question @kato.

I dont know if I am just obssessing about MI when I try and find out what is wrong with me. Am I really BPD or is it schizotypal or schizoid or all 3?

Should I just smell the roses and just forget about it?

I am lucky that in the schizophrenic SPECTRUM I am not as bad as my father and sister were.

Another thing is that my dead brother's son, my nephew shocked me by being racist, about the Indian doctors in the psych wards, as was typical of his mother's family.  But he is using his racism in a weird way to 'get well' and not submit to anyone's else's judgement and get a  secure job to support his new bubba. Its very ironic, but am also proud of him as he was on a stack of mood stabilisers and antipsychotics. With a dead dad and brain injured mum. Time will tell.

[kato]

@Mosaic

Hey Mosaic, yes early stages of new psychiatrist, the getting to know each other stage, i already have a good vibe about her, which is good, i tend to know pretty quick if i like them or not, don't get me wrong i am not concerned about dual diagnosis per say, just curious really, it is not the first time it has been suggested to me, my first two psychiatrists had both made mention of it, but at that stage it was early into my recent episode, so they did  not want to call it early due to the drug side of things i was going through.

so far for me, treatment wise, i have only really had meds and my psychologist using cbt with me briefly, i think i need to ask more straight forward questions of them about best ways to be treated, or courses or something that might benefit me also.

thanks for the feedback