A 🧵 on BPD from my personal experiences

*CW - mention of suicide*

I was diagnosed with BPD 6 years ago after a 15/20 minute consultation with a dr I’d never met before. I was given a MIND booklet of personality disorders and told to pick one I related to most (1/19) I related to BPD because of my self harm urges, suicidal thoughts & feelings of emptiness. I was 21 & not yet sure of my place in the world - who is sure at 21? Because of this I was told I was going to receive a BPD diagnosis & all I felt was relief (2/19)

Someone with a diagnosis of BPD, is NOT a bad person. Here’s why ( a 🧵) -

There are 9 ‘symptoms’ of BPD; briefly, they are- a fear of abandonment/rejection, paranoia, intense emotions, impulsivity, limited sense of ‘self’, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, anger, and feeling empty To receive a diagnosis, you have to reach a criteria of 5/9 ‘symptoms’.

That means there are OVER 200 possible presentations of BPD.

BPD can be seen as a ‘spectrum’ - you can have all 9 symptoms, or just 5. Or even 3 or 4 and be told you have ‘traits’ of BPD.

Officially discharged from Adult Mental Health Services ✨ A thread 🧵 Today I was officially discharged from Adult Mental Health Services. After 4+ years of trauma caused by services and having to fight for the right support, I feel like I can finally say I have a sense of closure.