Post by Mea on Dec 28, 2015 4:01:58 GMT
Anonymous asked: i have bpd and i *think* i might have dpd too. i fit all the criteria except it says something about "these symptoms are not caused by another illness" or w/e. what are some tips for knowing if i really have dpd or if its really just more of my dpd??
Answer: What that part is referring to is making sure the person does not have some sort of physical illness which would cause these kinds of symptoms. For example, someone with Alzheimer’s wouldn’t be diagnosed with a mood disorder because of the shifts in their moods, as that is a part of Alzheimer’s. Someone who woke up from a coma experiencing some mild dissociation wouldn’t be considered for a dissociative disorder because those symptoms were caused by recovery from a coma. My brother’s concussion causes depressive symptoms, dissociation, and forgetfulness, but he wasn’t considered for a mental disorder because those things were caused by his recovery from a concussion.
There’s also the case of whether or not symptoms can better be explained by another mental disorder. This isn’t so much, “If you have this disorder, there’s no way you can have another one.” Just, “Is there a better label for you?” If there isn’t a better label, then that’s where co-morbid diagnoses come in.
For example, I experience dissociation, but I do not have a dissociative disorder. The reason is because I do not experience dissociation all the time, only when I’m stressed out, which is better explained by BPD. If I experienced dissociation every day, even when I wasn’t stressed, it could certainly be part of my BPD as well, but the frequency may have my therapist suspecting a dissociative disorder in addition to BPD. Meanwhile, while depression is a symptom of BPD, I experience depression constantly, and it exists outside of a side effect of my BPD. Because of this, I am also diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder.
What you need to do is figure out how often you experience symptoms of DPD and how greatly they affect you, and also decide whether or not they are greatly impacting your life. And remember it’s also possible to have BPD with Dependent traits.
-Mea
Answer: What that part is referring to is making sure the person does not have some sort of physical illness which would cause these kinds of symptoms. For example, someone with Alzheimer’s wouldn’t be diagnosed with a mood disorder because of the shifts in their moods, as that is a part of Alzheimer’s. Someone who woke up from a coma experiencing some mild dissociation wouldn’t be considered for a dissociative disorder because those symptoms were caused by recovery from a coma. My brother’s concussion causes depressive symptoms, dissociation, and forgetfulness, but he wasn’t considered for a mental disorder because those things were caused by his recovery from a concussion.
There’s also the case of whether or not symptoms can better be explained by another mental disorder. This isn’t so much, “If you have this disorder, there’s no way you can have another one.” Just, “Is there a better label for you?” If there isn’t a better label, then that’s where co-morbid diagnoses come in.
For example, I experience dissociation, but I do not have a dissociative disorder. The reason is because I do not experience dissociation all the time, only when I’m stressed out, which is better explained by BPD. If I experienced dissociation every day, even when I wasn’t stressed, it could certainly be part of my BPD as well, but the frequency may have my therapist suspecting a dissociative disorder in addition to BPD. Meanwhile, while depression is a symptom of BPD, I experience depression constantly, and it exists outside of a side effect of my BPD. Because of this, I am also diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder.
What you need to do is figure out how often you experience symptoms of DPD and how greatly they affect you, and also decide whether or not they are greatly impacting your life. And remember it’s also possible to have BPD with Dependent traits.
-Mea
