How bad/accurate is self diagnosing?

It might sound bad but I am desperate for a diagnosis because I just want to get a care plan to get better. That’s it. Can’t really get better if you aren’t solving the problem, and to do that you need to know what’s wrong with you.

See a professional !

I think it’s worthwhile to see a mental health professional for a proper diagnosis.

Though, in the meantime, you could try to join a Facebook support group for BPD. There will probably be other people in your same boat.

You could also read up on DBT and CBT. They’re two common methods of therapy used for BPD.

thanks @Tropical_Willie I am trying
@raum I will look for some

@SergeantQueen, good for you for recognizing that something isn’t right and resolving to get treatment.

I don’t know how precisely this kind of disorder can be diagnosed, but sometimes it does take more than one try to get effective treatment.

That’s not the kind of diagnosis that a layperson could accurately self-diagnose. If I remember my abnormal psychology course correctly, personality disorders are very uncommon. A professional will have worked with others with this diagnosis and not only know what to look for, but more importantly, know what treatments are the most effective. I know you’ve been through a lot, and I’m glad to hear that you’re seeking professional help.

You might want to start a journal and write down your thoughts and feelings every day in the meantime. It might feel good to “get things out” and also might prove helpful in your therapy. Sending you good vibes.

Self diagnosis can hinder good professional help. Save something like that if you give professionals an honest try, without good results.

When I see commercials for various medications, there is almost always one of the side effects that I suffer, but I don’t take any of them. Symptoms of the condition I live with, simply happens to match.

It also matches lupus, and Lou Gerig’s, in some ways, but they are all very different, with different outcomes.

My point is, let a pro sort it out. It might take a while, but it is best.

You’re working on seeing a doctor, so obviously you understand the importance of that. A little advise, psychologists and psychiatrists are like any other doctor, sometimes they are good, sometimes not so good. If the first person you see isn’t a good fit than try another.

I think it’s natural to guess at diagnosis for yourself, and reading up on what might be wrong with you can be good for introspection.

Most people when they take psychology in school start diagnosing family members, friends, themselves, lol, everyone has a mental illness.

Just be aware that having some traits of a psych disorder can mean nothing. It’s usually a compilation of several of the parameters and also how extreme the behavior is on a continuum that gives a diagnosis.

For instance, I always double check things that can catch on fire like checking I turned off the stove or did I unplug my curling iron. That one checking behavior doesn’t make me OCD.

I’d also recommend reading up on PTSD and c-PTSD in relation to BPD. There tends to be a lot of co-morbidity, as well as misdiagnosis between the three.

There’s been some discussion about recategorizing BPD as a complex trauma response (versus a personality disorder).

I believe seeing a professional is sound advice. I’d be wary of labeling symptoms and associating myself with that label.

Some 60-odd years ago I was temporarily admitted to a psychiatric ward after a “suicide gesture”. I was diagnosed as having borderline personality disorder. What I actually suffered from was “stinkin’ thinkin’”, believing life events should occur as I imagined they should. When life didn’t unfold as I thought it should I would behave in an immature manner.

It really makes a difference when you observe life as it is instead of the way we want it to be. Considering my description, most of the world responds to life the way they want it to be.

Not everybody responds by slashing their arms with sharp objects.

For that I was diagnosed as having “borderline personality disorder”.

The diagnosis itself did nothing to help me, however.. It occurred to me while sitting in their padded room:

“I do more harm to myself than the things/people I allege harms me.”

From that moment on I’ve endeavored to re-wire my thinking. I continually practice refraining from analyzing, judging, criticizing, complaining, over thinking or entertaining any thoughts or self-talk that serve no useful purpose.

It’s not so important what happens in your Life…it’s how you CHOOSE to respond to what happens in your Life that’s important.

So yeah…I respectfully suggest you set aside self diagnosing, if you can, and seek professional help.

Hmmm. I understand the temptation, but I’d leave it to the professionals. The test results may be schewed if you go in with too much of a convinction.

About BPD in particular (a very “trendy” diagnosis), a psychologist once told me that diagnosing this disorder before the age of 25 is not wise. Too many of the criteria are, unfortunately, very common in teenagers and young adults, and disappear once the brain is fully developed. It’s like looking at a ten-year-old’s height and diagnosing a growth disorder, when really they’re average for a child their age.

That said, you can absolutely pick and choose parts of BPD-approved therapy techniques and work with those. DBT is extremely effective for those who have it, as well as being harmless and even healthy for most anyone.

Typo: when I wrote advise it should have been advice. I’m not sure if it was autocorrect or me.

@SergeantQueen Using “self diagnosis” you have fool for a diagnostician.

We are 3 people. We’re the person that others think we are. We’re the person that we think that we are. And we’re the person that we really are.

@gondwanalon So true.

When you “self diagnose”, it is always Lupus.

It’s not some traits it is all

I think you would get just too many diagnoses here as well as your own. See a pro.

Am I right?
Yes I am.

Hard to say.

What you’ve done may not actually be “self diagnosis”. Access to good medical care can be a challenge for anyone in terms of time & cost. It’s really not uncommon for people to try to inform themselves about personal health issues so they can choose the right provider, and ask the right questions.

If that’s all you’ve done it’s very different from diagnosing yourself. But as others replying to this question have pointed out, assumptions that keep you from taking sound medical advice will only make it harder for you to get well.

GA, @SABOTEUR.

@kneesox Thank you.