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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Deneb on September 19, 2008, at 10:15:31
OK, I don't know if I just cured myself in the span of a few years or if I was misdiagnosed to begin with, but I have the label of borderline personality stuck to me.
I no longer meet the criteria for this disorder.
How do I go about removing this diagnosis?
I'm afraid of doctors and hospitals treating me differently because of it.
Posted by Maria01 on September 19, 2008, at 10:57:46
In reply to How do I remove my diagnosis?, posted by Deneb on September 19, 2008, at 10:15:31
Oh, wow. That's a toughie. I take it it's on your medical and/or psych records? If you've switched T's or pdocs, you may want approach them about writing a report/addendum to your records indicating that based on their expertise, observations and interactions with you that you do not meet the criteria for BPD, and then make sure it gets added to your record.
Unfortunately, medical and psych records are legal documents, and while entries can't be removed(unelss an entry was made for the wrong person in the wrong record) addenda can always be provided that will either dispute information in the record or revise it.
A more below-the-radar option would be to not disclose any prior information i.e. not requesting that former records be sent to the new provider(s). If your BPD diagnosis is on record with any insurers, probably your only alternative is to have your current provider write a comprehensive report disputing that diagnosis and supporting their reasoning. The insurer/hospital/etc. may or may not honor that report.
This is just my personal opinion so you may take it with a grain of salt or not at all(don't worry, I won't take it personally...this is the Internet after all) I think diagnoses do more harm than good. I see so many people on this board writing " I have X" " I have Y" "My p-doc/T/social worker says I have Z" and I can tell it really upsets people, and it can wreck havoc when trying to obtain care from a new provider. When my aunt was practicing,she never documented a major diagnosis(BPD, DID, OCD, etc.) in her client's records for that very reason. The only exception would be if she had to write a report for a court case. Aside from that, she didn't do it. She didn't want her clients to define themselves by whatever diagnosis, and she didn't want the negative impact of it to affect client's future care or even employment. It just wasn't worth it. If a client's record had to be subpeoned for any reason, she didn't want whatever label to follow that client, because it could have negatively impacted them in ways they had no control over.
Just my .02....
Posted by Maria01 on September 19, 2008, at 10:59:21
In reply to Re: How do I remove my diagnosis? » Deneb, posted by Maria01 on September 19, 2008, at 10:57:46
All this to say, sometimes diagnostic labels can do more harm than good. Again, just my .02
Posted by Racer on September 19, 2008, at 14:04:37
In reply to How do I remove my diagnosis?, posted by Deneb on September 19, 2008, at 10:15:31
Honey, I don't think you need it removed -- I just think you need the validation that you really have worked hard, grown, and developed beyond that diagnosis. You need the validation that you have succeeded in your effort to overcome the limitations it brought to your life. And you have.
You know I care about you, and I hope you'll remember that I care about you when you read this: I believe, based on what I saw of your behavior on this site, that the diagnosis was accurate when it was made. That's honest feedback, and it's not a judgment. You have put in so much hard work, and you have been successful in overcoming an obstacle to your happiness. That's what we all hope for, and I'm sure many people look at you for inspiration because of it. I hope you're not ashamed of who you were -- that earlier Deneb is part of who you are. You know that many of us put a great deal of time into responding to you then -- we must have seen something good in you, right? We must have sensed your potential to offer you that much time, right?
I'd ask your Pdoc to document the fact that you no longer meet the diagnostic criteria for BPD. And I think I'd also recommend you discuss with her your feelings about having met the criteria in the past.
Last thought: the mental health field has finally started to cotton on to the rather obvious fact that personality disorders are actually LESS stable than many of the Axis I disorders! Depression is much more likely to continue to be a problem throughout the life-span, while many of the personality traits which make up the PDs improve over time. Real Life usually teaches most of us that certain maladaptive patterns of behavior are ineffective and detrimental to our happiness, and we take steps to adjust them in order to survive. And often, the PDs are expressions of a developmental delay in one area or another, and that area eventually catches up. Whatever it is, many -- if not most -- personality disorders are far less chronic than the previously accepted wisdom believed.
Anyway, you're a bright star, but I guess you've always known that, right? ;-)
Posted by healing928 on September 20, 2008, at 23:13:56
In reply to How do I remove my diagnosis?, posted by Deneb on September 19, 2008, at 10:15:31
A lot of professionals do not agree with the diagnosis of BPD, and want to make their own diagnosis. When I took a break from my t and went to someone else I saw years ago he did not agree that i was BPD. I know I had BPD because I always felt that the diagnosis of bipolar was not accurate, and met the criteria in the DSM-IV. My told me last week that I have had weeks that I was BPD free, so now working on trying to get myself unstuck and not depending so much on him.
This is the end of the thread.
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