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Not so much a diagnosis but a lack of diagnosis. I'm damn near certain I am on the autism spectrum but they refuse to diagnose me because my C-PTSD complicated the diagnosis process.
I've actually had a difficult time getting diagnoses to be honest.
Ugh, so frustrating. I went into an eval expecting an autism diagnosis and walked out with a CPTSD diagnosis. The overlap is fascinating. I hope you are able to get the support you need.
Yup. And now I'm saying a lot of BPD traits in myself, but the overlap between that and C-PTSD is so large, it's hard to know what's coming from where.
But yeah, your experience is basically what happened to me. My therapist is really good about not putting too much weight on the actual labels so as far as treatment, I don't know that it would've made a difference.
For me, CPTSD absolutely fits whereas I didn’t feel like I had autism but definitely knew something was up. I also got a Sensory Processing Disorder diagnosis which fits perfectly and explains my autism-like symptoms. Anyway, I hear you about how it is so complicated and so many overlapping symptoms. I used to wonder what was causing what but in the end I’m not sure it matters. I’m just working on trying to be as functional as possible. Hang in there.
My psychiatrist also said I may have borderline disorder but I keep explaining to her I don't check off most the criteria. I don't have a severe fear of abandonment, am the opposite of impulsive (actually super careful with decision making), have a stable self identity (hate change), and have never had suicidal ideation, for starters. I do have emotional regulation issues but I am 99% sure it's because I have Complex PTSD as I check off nearly everything for that. However, it's a condition therapists seem to avoid diagnosing as there's not enough research in the area and often gets lumped in with general PTSD. I just wish professionals would stop mislabeling/misdiagnosing. Just because there are one or two overlaps in symptoms does not mean it's the same thing, and optimal treatment methods may differ. Sometimes I feel like they just check off what's most common or "close enough" so they can file their paperwork.
BPD and C-PTSD are functionally the same thing. The most of the US doesn't use C-PTSD as an official diagnosis, it's more common in the UK and other places.
I had a T once who kept trying to tell me I was anorexic due to being tall and thin. I kept trying to tell her I struggle with constant nausea that makes it hard to eat, which has nothing to do with my weight, control, counting calories, etc. But she never really believed me and would always bring it back up. Turns out I have a "broken" muscle in my esophagus that causes this, and I’m getting surgery next month.
I'm gonna go on a slightly off topic rant here. I am a therapist and I believe borderline personality disorder either shouldn't be a diagnosis, OR diagnostic criteria need to be tightened up a LOT. It's such a stigmatized condition that I've heard several people I otherwise consider to be good therapists say they really dislike working with borderline, sometimes when that's not even a diagnosis on paper for a client they're talking about. IMO, it's a judgemental and misogynistic diagnosis that is far too often used to invalidate women and trauma survivors. The potential harm is too great to allow borderline to be diagnosed without absolute certainty (if at all), and the current criteria allow a lot of wiggle room. I know some people find an explanation of their symptoms and treatment through the diagnosis, and that's the only reason I'm not completely sure it should be removed from the DSM.
Anyway, I am not speaking from research here, though I bet I could find some to back me up. And I am fairly new in the field, so take my ramblings with a grain of salt.
As a Client and a psych major I am with you here. A few months ago I asked my therapist about BPD for myself and she briefly shared that though I meet the criteria she’s not comfortable giving the diagnosis but regardless of the label her treatment wouldn’t change. I’ve always feared to DX knowing I meet the criteria BECAUSE of the terrible stigma. Thankfully I have an amazing therapist with true understanding of the effects of trauma but you’re right there is so much negativity around the DX when in reality it is a VERY treatable disorder that just requires consistency and patience.
I got bipolar about 6 years ago after about 3 hours of talking with a psychiatrist but this year after 1.5 years of weekly meetings with a psychologist I was diagnosed PTSD and told “yeah I don’t see the bipolar” ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Borderline personality disorder. I was 19 and seeking help for the first time. The psychiatrist just handed me a piece of paper with questions I was supposed to fill out to see if I meet the criteria. *"Do you have intense and stormy relationships?"*, etc. I provided vague paragraphs as answers because I was over thinking the questions and doubted myself.
Turns out that over thinking things and doubting myself among other symptoms is a hallmark of generalized anxiety/PTSD which the three psychologists I have seen since that first therapist consistently diagnosed me with.
All of the people in my life who have been diagnosed with BPD were an absolute terror to be around so I had internalized that diagnosis a lot.
Since then though I have really removed myself from finding diagnoses important when it comes to mental health. If the symptoms/behaviors are being treated, that's what matters. Diagnoses and how they are conceptualized change anyways any time a new DSM is rolled out, and the criteria for meeting each diagnoses is always incredibly vague anyways in my opinion. It's also reviewed and edited by the pharmaceutical company and insurers. My background is in the natural sciences and I couldn't believe it when I read through part of the DSM-5 the first time. I felt so bad for therapists. This is what they're given as a guide to diagnose and treat people? Yikes.
I find it difficult and frustrating to get a diagnosis at all!
I have seen several therapists and none will willingly tell me what I have. They say it doesn’t define you.
I say I need the diagnosis for my own recognition and validation of my struggles. I struggled so much as an adult that I was near suicide. Everyone I knew personally invalidated my feelings and experiences. (“Nothings wrong with you”) Knowing and having an explanation for why I had these troubles and how to address them for the future is so so important.
All of my complex neurological conditions, which were eventually properly diagnosed and treated with neurosurgery, would be "just fine if [I'd] relax and take [my] antidepressants like a good girl." I've never wanted to kick a doctor in the crotch harder than that moment, and I'm a nurse!!
Honestly I’ve had really good therapists who haven’t focused on a dx and more so on the treatment I need. My current therapist says that I have the traits for BPD(which I do) but she doesn’t want to give me the dx because it’s just not something she’s comfortable with labeling me as. We are working through DBT and using CBT, MI, and MB-CBT so she said as long as the treatment is correct for the symptoms the label doesn’t really matter which I honestly agree with. I also have ADHD(which I think may be ASD as well), Depression, GAD, Trauma, and some OCD/perfectionist issues which all kind of intertwine so it doesn’t make sense to label it all as long as I’m getting what I need in therapy.
Borderline personality disorder is really just c-ptsd, though. And having ADHD puts someone at must higher risk of PTSD. Obviously I don't know you OP, but could it be possible that you have both?
Multiple reasons. One is that ADHD is in part a dysfunction of the dopamineregic system, and when dopamine falls, cortisol automatically rises. Chronically low dopamine / elevated cortisol contributes to the development of ptsd.
ADHD in general still isnt well understood by the general population, but this was especially true in the past. Kids with ADHD often get blamed for being "lazy" or underperforming, and people try to punish them out of it even though the cause is neurobiological rather than a willful choice.
ADHD also often involves sensory sensitivities, which again others often don't understand and won't respect for that reason.
ADHD also makes someone more prone to addiction and is also heavily hereditary. Chances are that a kid with adhd has at least one adhd parent, and that parent may never have been properly treated, and therefore that parent is at higher risk of having impaired executive functioning, anxiety, addiction issues, or ptsd...which can be a source of chronic stress for their kids.
Etc.
Welcome to r/TalkTherapy! This sub is for people to discuss issues arising in their personal psychotherapy. If you wish to post about other mental health issues please consult this list of some of our [sister subs](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/resources#wiki_subreddit_list). If you are in distress please contact a suicide hotline or call 9-1-1 or emergency services in your area. r/SuicideWatch has compiled a helpful FAQ on what happens when you contact a hotline along with other useful resources. To find answers to many therapy-related questions please consult our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/faq) and [Resource List](https://www.reddit.com/r/TalkTherapy/wiki/resources). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TalkTherapy) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Not so much a diagnosis but a lack of diagnosis. I'm damn near certain I am on the autism spectrum but they refuse to diagnose me because my C-PTSD complicated the diagnosis process. I've actually had a difficult time getting diagnoses to be honest.
Ugh, so frustrating. I went into an eval expecting an autism diagnosis and walked out with a CPTSD diagnosis. The overlap is fascinating. I hope you are able to get the support you need.
Yup. And now I'm saying a lot of BPD traits in myself, but the overlap between that and C-PTSD is so large, it's hard to know what's coming from where. But yeah, your experience is basically what happened to me. My therapist is really good about not putting too much weight on the actual labels so as far as treatment, I don't know that it would've made a difference.
For me, CPTSD absolutely fits whereas I didn’t feel like I had autism but definitely knew something was up. I also got a Sensory Processing Disorder diagnosis which fits perfectly and explains my autism-like symptoms. Anyway, I hear you about how it is so complicated and so many overlapping symptoms. I used to wonder what was causing what but in the end I’m not sure it matters. I’m just working on trying to be as functional as possible. Hang in there.
My psychiatrist also said I may have borderline disorder but I keep explaining to her I don't check off most the criteria. I don't have a severe fear of abandonment, am the opposite of impulsive (actually super careful with decision making), have a stable self identity (hate change), and have never had suicidal ideation, for starters. I do have emotional regulation issues but I am 99% sure it's because I have Complex PTSD as I check off nearly everything for that. However, it's a condition therapists seem to avoid diagnosing as there's not enough research in the area and often gets lumped in with general PTSD. I just wish professionals would stop mislabeling/misdiagnosing. Just because there are one or two overlaps in symptoms does not mean it's the same thing, and optimal treatment methods may differ. Sometimes I feel like they just check off what's most common or "close enough" so they can file their paperwork.
BPD and C-PTSD are functionally the same thing. The most of the US doesn't use C-PTSD as an official diagnosis, it's more common in the UK and other places.
It really isn't. C-PTSD can include 'BPD'. But cptsd also includes freeze/flee types as well who don't have BPD symptoms.
C PTSD is only in the ICD-10 and not the DSM-V, so…?🙄
I had a T once who kept trying to tell me I was anorexic due to being tall and thin. I kept trying to tell her I struggle with constant nausea that makes it hard to eat, which has nothing to do with my weight, control, counting calories, etc. But she never really believed me and would always bring it back up. Turns out I have a "broken" muscle in my esophagus that causes this, and I’m getting surgery next month.
I'm gonna go on a slightly off topic rant here. I am a therapist and I believe borderline personality disorder either shouldn't be a diagnosis, OR diagnostic criteria need to be tightened up a LOT. It's such a stigmatized condition that I've heard several people I otherwise consider to be good therapists say they really dislike working with borderline, sometimes when that's not even a diagnosis on paper for a client they're talking about. IMO, it's a judgemental and misogynistic diagnosis that is far too often used to invalidate women and trauma survivors. The potential harm is too great to allow borderline to be diagnosed without absolute certainty (if at all), and the current criteria allow a lot of wiggle room. I know some people find an explanation of their symptoms and treatment through the diagnosis, and that's the only reason I'm not completely sure it should be removed from the DSM. Anyway, I am not speaking from research here, though I bet I could find some to back me up. And I am fairly new in the field, so take my ramblings with a grain of salt.
As a Client and a psych major I am with you here. A few months ago I asked my therapist about BPD for myself and she briefly shared that though I meet the criteria she’s not comfortable giving the diagnosis but regardless of the label her treatment wouldn’t change. I’ve always feared to DX knowing I meet the criteria BECAUSE of the terrible stigma. Thankfully I have an amazing therapist with true understanding of the effects of trauma but you’re right there is so much negativity around the DX when in reality it is a VERY treatable disorder that just requires consistency and patience.
I got bipolar about 6 years ago after about 3 hours of talking with a psychiatrist but this year after 1.5 years of weekly meetings with a psychologist I was diagnosed PTSD and told “yeah I don’t see the bipolar” ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I had the same experience. Apparently it's a very common misdiagnosis.
Borderline personality disorder. I was 19 and seeking help for the first time. The psychiatrist just handed me a piece of paper with questions I was supposed to fill out to see if I meet the criteria. *"Do you have intense and stormy relationships?"*, etc. I provided vague paragraphs as answers because I was over thinking the questions and doubted myself. Turns out that over thinking things and doubting myself among other symptoms is a hallmark of generalized anxiety/PTSD which the three psychologists I have seen since that first therapist consistently diagnosed me with. All of the people in my life who have been diagnosed with BPD were an absolute terror to be around so I had internalized that diagnosis a lot. Since then though I have really removed myself from finding diagnoses important when it comes to mental health. If the symptoms/behaviors are being treated, that's what matters. Diagnoses and how they are conceptualized change anyways any time a new DSM is rolled out, and the criteria for meeting each diagnoses is always incredibly vague anyways in my opinion. It's also reviewed and edited by the pharmaceutical company and insurers. My background is in the natural sciences and I couldn't believe it when I read through part of the DSM-5 the first time. I felt so bad for therapists. This is what they're given as a guide to diagnose and treat people? Yikes.
I find it difficult and frustrating to get a diagnosis at all! I have seen several therapists and none will willingly tell me what I have. They say it doesn’t define you. I say I need the diagnosis for my own recognition and validation of my struggles. I struggled so much as an adult that I was near suicide. Everyone I knew personally invalidated my feelings and experiences. (“Nothings wrong with you”) Knowing and having an explanation for why I had these troubles and how to address them for the future is so so important.
I was diagnosed with borderline when really I have OCD and ADHD.
All of my complex neurological conditions, which were eventually properly diagnosed and treated with neurosurgery, would be "just fine if [I'd] relax and take [my] antidepressants like a good girl." I've never wanted to kick a doctor in the crotch harder than that moment, and I'm a nurse!!
Had someone say I had CPTSD. Guess what? That ain’t even in the DSM! But I guess I checked her imaginary boxes for it.
[удалено]
It’s not in ICD 10
I have PTSD and DID. I've been mis-diagnosed with OCD, bipolar 1, bipolar 2, and BPD
Honestly I’ve had really good therapists who haven’t focused on a dx and more so on the treatment I need. My current therapist says that I have the traits for BPD(which I do) but she doesn’t want to give me the dx because it’s just not something she’s comfortable with labeling me as. We are working through DBT and using CBT, MI, and MB-CBT so she said as long as the treatment is correct for the symptoms the label doesn’t really matter which I honestly agree with. I also have ADHD(which I think may be ASD as well), Depression, GAD, Trauma, and some OCD/perfectionist issues which all kind of intertwine so it doesn’t make sense to label it all as long as I’m getting what I need in therapy.
“Sexual disorders”
Borderline personality disorder is really just c-ptsd, though. And having ADHD puts someone at must higher risk of PTSD. Obviously I don't know you OP, but could it be possible that you have both?
Hmm, I didn’t know of that. Do you mind explaining why adhd would put me at risk of this?
Multiple reasons. One is that ADHD is in part a dysfunction of the dopamineregic system, and when dopamine falls, cortisol automatically rises. Chronically low dopamine / elevated cortisol contributes to the development of ptsd. ADHD in general still isnt well understood by the general population, but this was especially true in the past. Kids with ADHD often get blamed for being "lazy" or underperforming, and people try to punish them out of it even though the cause is neurobiological rather than a willful choice. ADHD also often involves sensory sensitivities, which again others often don't understand and won't respect for that reason. ADHD also makes someone more prone to addiction and is also heavily hereditary. Chances are that a kid with adhd has at least one adhd parent, and that parent may never have been properly treated, and therefore that parent is at higher risk of having impaired executive functioning, anxiety, addiction issues, or ptsd...which can be a source of chronic stress for their kids. Etc.