Lived Experience Forum

[BlueButterfly50]

@Angel

I am not aware that DBT programmes discourage friendship.  I run a support group in Perth that encourages friendships.  It may just be the organisers of that particular group.

It is hard to make friends when you have BPD.  I know this from personal experience.  The skills you learn by the end of the group will help you.  I wish you all the best.

[CherryBomb]

@BlueButterfly50 you mentioned in your video that once you looked the symptoms of BPD everything seemed to make more sense and that you could identify with many of the symptoms. For many people this can also feel like a curse. How did you seek treatment, and how you do maintain wellness today?

[PeppiPatty]

@Raven,
That's hilarious that your GP doesn't agree......who can you believe?? Who do you trust??

[PeppiPatty]

Dear @BlueButterfly,

Where is your BPD program in Perth?

[BlueButterfly50]

@Alessandra1992

Yes it is, it is not fair at all.  I find explaining to people that it has a biological component to it helps.  There is a reason why we have so many issues with emotions and that is because the emotional centre of our brain is highly reactive to criticism and judgement and lots of corrosive neurotransmitters are released from our brain and this makes us feel terrible and out of sorts.

[-karma-]

From my observations, people tend to get caught up in the behavioural presentations of BPD, and I think this then gets labelled as a behavioural issue as opposed to a mental health issue. I think people forget that people with a diagnosis of BPD have often had extreme trauma in early childhood, and this deserves our compassion. Similarly drug users experience a moral judgement about their behaviour, rather than seeing it as a symptom of something bigger.

Would others agree?

[Raven]

@PeppiPatty
GP didn't even want to say it
Took me to tell him that I'm comfortable with my diagnosis for him to settle down
There aren't a whole lot of meds that can fix me apparently
I'm just learning to live with myself don't know that I need fixing

[Shadow]

When I did DBT about 7yrs ago they discouraged friendships I think so we don't call each other in a crisis or get too involved in each others 'problems'.

[PeppiPatty]

Yeah to @Karma

It doesn't help with newly accredited GPs or 'new,' Psychologiests ( my and a couple of friends ) diagnosing people with BPD without knowing all the facts but this is also relevant mis diagnosing anyone....

[Jacques]

Yes i would totoally agree, i feel that nerly all of my problems stem from childhood trauma, (pysical abuse from a christian school when i was 7)

People did see it as a behavioural problem, i was diagnosed with ADH, looking back at it now i had Mental health issues then that went undiagnosed. and in hind site may have compounded my problems