so I have requestioned my medical notes for benefit application reasons. Anyway I just received them and have discovered that I have several diagnosis's on there that I was never told about... is this normal?
apparently I was diagnosed with borderline persoanlity disorder in 2015 and bipolar in 2016... but noone have ever told me of this
also I wasn't even in treatment in 2015 or 2016...
I am not sure how I feel about this, but I do kind of disagree with both diagnosis's
just curious if this sort of thing has happened to others as I kind of assumed that when diagnosed with something I'd be told
i'm mainly scard that the job centre will now see me as having lied on my PIP and WCA forms... The list of diagnosis's here is totally different to what I wrote...
Also, and this may be bad of me, I kind of really dislike the idea of been seen as having BPD...
Ok so I've gotten over the shock and looked through the DSM properly about BPD... and... I'll accept that maybe...
Bipolar though I'm not in any sort of agreement with and cant understand why, if I was diagnosed with it in 2016, I've never been offered any sort of treatment
I know I'm in a different country, but I don't normally get told any diagnosis. I usually have to ask, and it's something that they typically handle with care re disclosing.
If it were me I would ask who diagnosed the condition and why. Basically, if it was a medical doctor who diagnosed and/or someone in a brief crisis type assessment, then I'd ask for it to be removed. That's when you usually get hit with a lot of weird mental health diagnoses, kind of like what Beckie mentioned.
I've also randomly been diagnosed bipolar by a psychiatrist who assessed me once, mostly because there was a language barrier and they literally understood none of what I was explaining. It was pretty weird.
Please do not give me virtual hugs unless you are only using the hug function on threads. Thanks.
You can't always keep it separate.
This is happening, this is part of you.
So I'e always been told that they don't generally disclose diagnosis because it can actually be damaging and confusing to someone to hear. That's part of why I wasn't allowed to find out without having a specific session from the provider who diagnosed me, so they could explain and we could discuss. I also haven't been allowed to have access to treatment and medical notes without the same thing, and without some things still being redacted for similar reasons.
I don't think it's unusual, but again I am in a different country.
Please do not give me virtual hugs unless you are only using the hug function on threads. Thanks.
You can't always keep it separate.
This is happening, this is part of you.
but in my case I've actually felt hugely better once I've discovered what's "wrong" with me as it's helped me to understand what's going on, and in some strange way made me feel better about myself as I am no longer blaming myself so much
Yea I totally get that! I think a lot of people like knowing for that reason. I think it's just they want to be careful how people get told that way there is time to discuss and explain if needed. I've had some diagnoses that have been particularly difficult for me to understand and accept, so having been able to have that discussion versus just finding out in notes probably was important. Everyone is different.
Basically what I've always been told is that if you ask for a diagnosis, they have to disclose. But they typically don't unless you either directly ask or it is relevant to tell you.
Please do not give me virtual hugs unless you are only using the hug function on threads. Thanks.
You can't always keep it separate.
This is happening, this is part of you.
i do think i would rather have been told than have just discovered it in my notes today, it's left me feeling a bit confused and sort of questioning a lot... I think the having a discussion and proper explanation makes a lot of sense
Just a note that in the UK doctors don't use dsm they use icd. So if you read the bpd part of that you might see where they are coming from.
Wannabe CPN : -)
"He who is tired of Weird Al is tired of life." - Homer Simpson "I hear those voices that will not be drowned" Sanity is a nasty disease. The world would be a happier place without it. - Rilic
RIP Kat 4th July 1987- 11th June 2013
I checked the NHS and mind websites too, and multiple others. My default reaction to stuff like this is to do ALL the research
I'm still not convinced by the diagnosis of BPD, in part as I feel that my autism diagnosis and upcoming ADHD diagnosis do cover a lot of the traits... also apparently BPD and autism are often misdiagnosed as each other - though still looking into this for anything other than anecdotal evidence.
Now that i realise that people are not always told their diagnosis - my bad for assuming. My main confusion with both of these , previously unknown to me, diagnoses is that I wasn't seeing a psych at the time so cant figure out how i could possibly have been diagnosed (I didnt even see crisis in either of those years and to be honest barely saw my GP). Also not sure why I never got offered any sort if treatment. But, I am going to leave it for now as my anxiety and panic attack issues are the priority right now, I really need to be able to leave the house again. I will mention the whole diagnosis thing to my GP at a later date.
