I was just curious to know if any of you guys or gurls have any medical conditions like OCD, Epilepsy, Bulimia etc?

I was diagnosed with Epilepsy when I was about 6 yrs old, at that age I didn't exactly know what it was, but I've only got 'mild' epilepsy, which is a good thing.

Lau x

i am happy to say no

i was pleased to read that your epilepsy has not stopped you taking part in sports

Yes.

I have Tourettes, and BPD with Agoraphobia

Were you diagnosed with BPD?

Yes (just to clarify BPD to me is Borderline Personality Disorder)
Why do you ask

I ask because I dated a woman who was diagnosed with BPD.

I know most people who have BPD have not been diagnosed.

I could look at it that i was lucky to be diagnosed, but as you will know there is two sides to the coin and its a very stigmatized "illness"
What are your opinions on it?

(sorry this thing wont seem to let me quote posts)

(If you click reply, it quotes the post to which you are replying.)

Are you sure you want my unvarnished opinions?

Thanks i was clicking quote.

I would like your opinions, iam sure you know that no 2 people with it are the same though

BPD is a sad disorder for the sufferer and a catastrophic one for the sufferer's victims, i.e., those with whom the sufferer is in a "primary relationship."

A BP's ("borderline person") behavior is motivated first and foremost by a perceived fear of abandonment rooted in neglect and/or abuse by parents in infancy and childhood.

A BP is incapable of trusting anyone and thus incapable of committed love.

A BP has no emotional recall past the most recent interaction. For example, when most people reminisce about a romantic dinner with someone they loved or liked a lot, they will remember (or try to remember) not only the historical fact of the dinner but also how they felt. A BP is incapable of recalling how they felt past the most recent time they saw you.

A BP will idolize a partner beyond all comparison, then suddenly and abruptly -- and for no apparent reason -- will demonize that same partner. This is called "splitting": when a BP "splits you black," there's nothing you can do to redeem yourself.

A BP's emotional development is frozen at some point in childhood (usually between the ages of 8 and 12) when a traumatic event occurred that brought on BPD.

A BP develops normally physically and intellectually -- "high-functioning" BPs are typically overachievers -- but does not develop emotionally past the childhood age at which the aforesaid occurred.

A BP's emotional immaturity is manifested only in a primary relationship, so everyone else thinks the victimized partner is crazy when complaining about the cruel behavior of the BP.

(to be continued . . . )

Hmm i see you have obviously had a very rough time with a "sufferer" and iam sorry for that, however most of what you have written whilst it may apply to the lady or gentlemen who you dated, i must say is very narrow and for many incorrect.
Not evey person with BPD has had a traumatic event in childhood
We do have emotional recall past the last romantic event
We are not incapable of trusting people, we find it very hard yes, but that dosent mean incapable, we are also capable of commited love and i know many people with BPD who would back me up on it.

Finally not every person with BPD had a bad childhood or bad parenting.

No offense but you have taken the public view on this disorder and run with it. I cant begin to understand how hard it can be for the partner and iam willing to admit many BP can be very difficult to live with, i also dont know your experience or how long you were with the person, how long ago and what type of help they were getting so its hard to explain

The above is based on my personal experience and my extensive research on BPD in connection with rebuilding my life after my relationship with a BP.

I am not saying that every BP is the same, but my experience is consistent with the present state of psychiatric knowledge about BPD.

Do you agree with any of my opinions on BPD or BPs?

How would you describe the manifested symptoms that resulted in your diagnosis?

Well iam sorry for your experience. i really am.
As for the knowledge of the psychiatrits, even they mostly admit they dont fully understand it yet, in fact many are ignorant of it and only fuel the stigma

Anyway, as you said no 3 BP are the same, i hope you life is getting back on track now.

It's cool -- we live and learn. And I don't hold it against you or anyone else with BPD.

What are your symptoms?

I did agree with some of the things you wrote, people with BPD do have extreame fear of abandonment and also cling to relationships which can be very distructive

Iam not really comfortable talking about what lead to my diagnoses on the forum, hope you understand

Sorry.

I understand.

I think we are posting at the same time lol.
As for symptoms, i meet the criteria for BPD with impulsivity. I find it hard to discuss on forums as some people (not you) can be very cruel about it.
Unfortunatly, it also makes my TS worse

Sorry for peppering you with questions then.

No probs, sorry if i come off defensive (oh and excuse my crap spelling) your avatar is hypnotic!!!!

I dated a BP for a little over six months about two years ago.

She is a very bright, articulate, attractive, charming, accomplished theatrical actress.

At the very outset, she told me she had been "diagnosed borderline," but I was ignorant and thought nothing of it because the word "borderline" sounds relatively benign.

My ex was 35 when we met, so she didn't exhibit one other telltale symptom of BPD which typically occurs during a BP's teenage years: "cutting" (self-mutilation).

You will have work my condition out for yourselves. 'Cos that nice man in the white coat is coming soon to give me my 'Happy Injection' and put me in my room with its nice soft walls.

We all have something abnormal about us -- at least if we're normal.

Many BPD charitys with consent of doctors are trying to get the name changed , as you said it is a bad description, iam all for this as i think something that implies you are on the border between pyschosis and Nurosis (sp) is an incorrect, unhelpfull and misleading to many.
Was she on any medication, dont worry if you dont want to say.


Mickyfin - Iam in the room next door, do you have an ensuite cos my shower isnt working?

That's what my research indicated: the name is shorthand for "borderline psychotic." I think your definition may be more precise; however, it essentially means the same thing.

My ex was a textbook case of BPD, both as to causes and early signature symptoms, including but not limited to the following: (1) she was one of three adoptive children to a heart surgeon and his submissive wife -- adopted kids are more prone to BPD because a mother's physical nurturing during the first three months of infancy is critical to later emotional development; (2) she was physically abused (beaten) by her father a handful of times between the ages of 8 and 17, but she was constantly threatened with beatings throughout those years; (3) her adoptive mother passively enabled the father's physical and emotional abuse; (4) she was a "cutter"in her teens (as I mentioned, self-mutilation during teenage years is a signature BPD symptom); (5) she went through a period of kleptomania in her youth and even when I knew her, despite that she never wanted for money; (6) she went through a period of gender preference confusion in her 20's during which she left a boyfriend and moved in with her female boss in a lesbian relationship, only to change her mind and leave the female boss for a new guy a year later; and (7) she was a serial cheater in past relationships (and she would have inevitably cheated on me had I stuck around long enough) -- BPs cheat because they obsessively fear abandonment and thus pre-emptively undermine relationships that become intimate before they are abandoned.

My ex was not on any medication. To my knowledge, there is no pharmaceutical cure or medical treatment for BPD. This makes sense when one considers the distinction between Personality Disorders and Mood Disorders.

For example, Manic Depression/Bipolar are Mood Disorders. The onset of manic and depressive episodes has been directly linked to biochemical changes in the body. These biochemical changes can be addressed pharmaceutically.

BPD is not a Mood Disorder but a Personality Disorder. As such, BPD encompasses one’s complete personality and cannot be cured or treated medically whilst leaving the functional aspects of the BP’s personality intact.

BPD is one of four Axis II, Cluster B, Personality Disorders. The other three are Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD), and Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD). To my knowledge, none of these personality disorders can be cured or even significantly treated pharmaceutically or medically.

Moreover, as in my ex's case, BPD is often co-morbid with one or usually more of the following disorders:

- the above Axis II, Cluster B, Personality Disorders;
- Personality Disorders defined under Axis II, Cluster A (Paranoid, Schizoid, Schizotypal);
- Personality Disorders defined under Axis II, Cluster C (Avoidant, Dependent, Obsessive-Compulsive);
- the above Mood Disorders;
- Dissociative Disorders (e.g., Dissociative Amnesia);
- Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders (e.g., gender preference confusion);
- Somatoform Disorders (e.g. Body Dysmorphic Disorder);
- Impulse-Control Disorders (e.g., kleptomania); and/or
- Anxiety Disorders (e.g., agoraphobia).

(See Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), published by the American Psychiatric Association.
Link: http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/prsnltydsrdr.htm
Link: http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/moodis.htm )

Although she had only been diagnosed with BPD and Bipolar, I know for a fact that my ex had more than one of the above at different points in her life and when I knew her. She freely admitted as much.

To my knowledge, the only known treatment for BPD is therapy which takes years to make a difference. The therapy essentially entails going back to the point in adolescence when the BP's emotional development was frozen and re-constructing a functional adult emotional development -- not an easy undertaking. Compounding the difficulty with therapy is BPs' invariable mistrust of therapists and consequent failure to stick with therapy. My ex stopped going to therapy years ago because she didn't trust her therapists and because she claimed therapy "stifled her creativity" as an actress.

My ex freely admitted her incapacity to trust or love anyone or to become intimate with anyone on a prolonged basis (fear of intimacy is another signature BPD symptom), which is difficult to conceive unless you experience it. Notwithstanding her intellect, she could not define "love" even as she understands it. She never used the word "love" in any real context -- not regarding her parents, siblings, ex's or anyone else.

Her most obvious and pronounced symptom, the one which sent me to the books resulting in my epiphany on BPD, was "splitting": idolization or demonization, with nothing in between. My ex was capable of exceptional warmth or extreme cruelty – with virtually zero in between -- subject to change at any time for any reason (real or perceived) depending on whether she had you “split white” or “split black.” Going back to my earlier statement about a BP's emotional development having been frozen in adolescence, if you think about it, "splitting" is exactly the way a child deals with people. At any given moment, and subject to change for any reason (real or perceived), a child will either love or hate those closest to the child -- with nothing in between. That's "splitting" -- except that a BP cannot love the way a child does on the upside because a BP cannot trust anyone and trust is a pre-requisite to love. For a more detailed explanation of "splitting" in BPD, see http://www.suite101.com/print_article.cfm/...rsonality/29784

One other thing comes to mind. My ex was inexplicably (at least to me at the outset) drawn to celebrities who had nothing in common – until I later learned they all had or have BPD (e.g., Jim Morrison, Angelina Jolie, Tatum O'Neil). I realized this connection well after I walked away from my ex for good.

In my research on BPD, I ran across one series of articles I commend to you. The author is A.J. Mahari, a “recovered borderline” who describes the various dimensions of BPD in a way I found clear and accurate and who offers insights on how he personally recovered from BPD. Here is one link to Mahari’s articles: http://www.suite101.com/discussions.cfm/bo...ine_personality

Having "recovered" from BPD, Mahari is more upbeat and positive -- albeit recognizing the difficulties involved -- than any other writer on BPD I've run across. Here is a quote from one of Mahari's articles:


The above is an abbreviated (believe it or not) summary of my knowledge about BPD from experience and research.

If you disagree with my opinions, bear in mind that I speak from the perspective of a "non-BP" (in BPD jargon, a "non-BP" is the partner of a BP) and that I have given the subject a reasonable amount of thought.

lol
i had a bad car accident nearly two years ago and cracked a bone in my neck and chipped one
im ok now but was ill regarding that for a while but can move fine now.
but since from all the tablets i was on i now hav some kidney damage
and i have been of work sick since and i now have a problem with fluid in my head which i am on 11 tablets a day for and i may hav to have a shunt put in my head
but im very happy and dont let it bother me
so after this is read dont mention it again lol