Thanks @Former-Member
-My husband initially (with my support) agreed to see a private psychologist. At this point, with no idea of a later BPD diagnosis, the standard psychological therapies such as CBT and talk therapy weren’t successful other than a listening ear to hear him talk.
- My husband then agreed to be referred to a psychiatrist where he was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and placed on medication. At first we both were both excited and hopeful that things would change with a simple pill, but we were soon to notice that the medication made him overly sedated, emotionally numb and contributed to a big weight gain, without any real impact on his symptoms.
-The psychiatrist then referred my husband to a neuro psychologist for an assessment, which returned a new diagnosis… Schizoaffective Disorder. Refusing to re commence the same medications, my husband was referred to a psychiatric nurse, who was not only unable to assist with any of his behavioural symptoms, but offered some extremely unhelpful advice.
-Another couple of years later, with no further treatment in between, I suggested to my husband that BPD could be a possibility (I had done my own research on this) and would he be open to exploring the option of another assessment. Fortunately he agreed, and I researched and found a private psychiatrist who specialised in BPD and with a thorough childhood history and current symptoms and behaviours, he was able to make an accurate BPD diagnosis.
The process was long and frustrating for both of us, however getting a correct diagnosis allowed us both to understand the reasons behind his symptoms and behaviours better.
How have others found the process in getting a BPD diagnosis?
