Posted by fallsfall on May 19, 2006, at 12:31:04
In reply to Suggested Group Therapy and Could I have BPD?, posted by DisposableDoll on May 18, 2006, at 23:41:36
I was diagnosed with BPD at one time (though I don't think I fit it now). The best information I found on it was Linehan's book ("Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder", not the "Skills Training Manual" (though the Skills training manual is valuable for explaining skill that can be helpful). Her book, in the first 4 or 5 chapters really resonated with me - finally someone understood me.
That said, I would be very cautious about diagnosing yourself. Most of us can read any list of symptoms and find that many of them "apply". But each of those symptoms are on a continuum - so all of us DO have some amount of almost every symptom. The issue for diagnosis is to what degree to the symptoms occur, and how do they affect your daily functioning.
I have successfully spent much of my time in the last 10 years being the "perfect" depressed patient. I have read all the books, memorized all of the symptoms, know exactly how to talk and how to feel so that they all will fit. In fact, I'm feeling a bit drab these days and just today my therapist warned me not to talk myself back into the depth of depression I've had in the past. What is important is not what you call it, but what you do about it.
So, do ask your therapist, but try not to spend too much time trying to diagnose yourself. At least doing that wasn't very good for me.
poster:fallsfall
thread:645776
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20060517/msgs/645910.html