This is aimed at anyone with a MH diagnosis. Do you feel your diagnosis has been a help or a hindrance? Did you fight tooth and nail for a diagnosis or do you feel you were unfairly diagnosed with something you don't believe you have? Or anything in between of course.
This thread has probably been done, I know.
Also, I know this is clearly all going to be anecdotal. However, I'm interested in people's experiences.
Oh god I want to hear you say,
I want to hear you say that you were wrong again
This is the first thing
I have understood:
Time is the echo of an axe
Within a wood.
I've found having a diagnosis helpful because 1) I know its not just all in my head & 2) with the correct diagnosis I've been able to access appropriate treatments.
My MH team are less concerned about it though, instead they decide on a diagnosis, talk about it to eachother & then decide on the treatment - I'm not really told in a formal manner. I was told by CPN over coffee, after I prodded her a bit, that she had infact been discussing my MH with the team without telling me & that yes, I do have PTSD, but it wasn't that important 'because I knew that already', however, they are good at getting me the right support even if I'm not that informed about my diagnosis so I don't really mind.
Yes, with the correct diagnosis of ptsd (with an extra helping of depression and possible add) I've been able to see more clearly the things I can work in to improve my life.
No, when I was incorrectly diagnosed with borderline I had a lot of trouble getting anyone to help me, largely because of the stigma that surrounds borderline. But also, that would not have provided me with the right framework to see what was going on with me to help improve my life.
But then, I'm the person that shows up at therapy with a list of things I want to work on, and what I would consider reasonable progress in six months. If it turns out not to be reasonable, well we can revise that.
I wanted a diagnosis because I thought it would validate the symptoms I was experiencing. I'm not sure it's ever been particularly helpful and my current diagnosis (bipolar) is not 100% correct but the closest thing. Diagnoses are really a way of fitting everyone into neat boxes and that doesn't work in real life. Rather than thinking about diagnoses, mental health teams and everyone else should focus on individual symptoms requiring treatment. So if someone is experiencing low mood then that is looked at. If someone is self harming that is given support for.
Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back, everything is different…
you once called your brain a hard drive, well say hello to the virus.
I was diagnosed with the depressive type of schizoaffective disorder 5 or six years ago, and it's a diagnosis that's stuck with me throughout a few admissions and many psychiatrists. One told me I was "textbook" when I disagreed with him, which I thought was very unhelpful - humans are individual, and no one is a textbook anything.
I was not told about my diagnosis when it was applied. I found out about it a couple of years later when a psychiatrist announced it to me in the middle of a mental health act assessment. Not ideal. I was very angry.
I don't really agree with the diagnosis. I agree that I get depressed sometimes, but I don't agree with the "schizo" part. That suggests that what I experience is not real. Because I don't agree with mental health professionals on certain things, I have been labelled with something that suggests that reality is distorted for me. It is not. It is easier to explain things away that people don't want to think about/accept when they stick a label on you that suggests that you are mad.
The diagnosis has not been particularly helpful. I think it's easier to detain someone when they have a diagnosis of psychosis, or that has been my experience. That said, other than the detentions, I have never been treated badly by a mental health professional - I have been treated with care at all times, even if it has been misguided.
“Our defeats are softened and our victories are sweetened because we did it together.” - Toby Ziegler.
I found it helpful to validate that there was something legit wrong and my 'pain' was real, rather than it just being the way I was and a diagnosis is something that can be treated, so there is hope that it will get better. My ED diagnosis was probably validating in the wrong way though and I think just encouraged me to restrict and lose weight more- now that I was an 'official' anorexic, I had to 'live up to the diagnosis' or something like that and lose ALL the weight
I have my suspicions that unfortunately my various personality disorder diagnoses have hindered the support that I've received at least once in A&E, and also considered two of the suggested "components" to my mixed PD downright insulting and somewhat confusing (how can you be simultaneously histrionic and avoidant???). I also find diagnoses that are given out after very little assessment to be quite unsettling. However, I think the final PD diagnosis I had could actually have been helpful as it gave me access to a very good personality disorder service which could have been very helpful had I chose to accept the offer of MBT.
I have rambled there; hope that answers your question somewhat!!
- having something concrete to read about.
- being able to access some valuable treatments.
- being to connect with like-minded people.
- getting first job.
Cons were:
- I feel I've 'become' my diagnosis to my detriment.
- it was never explained to me and I'm not sure I even really understand it.
- fortunately my team did not see it necessary to follow NICE guidelines to the tee, otherwise I would have missed out on some of my most helpful treatments.
- a lot of info/opinion about it is stigmatising and somewhat contradictory to conventional thinking.
Depression: has been a hindrance, as I'm on the whole not depressed, but am more Anxious, and the anti-depressants have caused more problems than I ever wanted, side effects were very nasty, no matter what I tried nothing really helped.
Stress and Anxiety: this diagnosis was helpful, as I was able to read about the behaviours often attributed to stress and anxiety, and learn how to manage my behaviours much better, as I had a much better understanding, it's just a shame this diagnosis didn't come until much later as I'm not very good with explaining symptoms, feelings and behaviours. My stress and anxiety was diagnosed when I was observed at the Psych ward, about 3 years after I was diagnosed with depression, I'm not sure how 1 could have been mistaken for another, sometimes it takes the observations of others before you can really find out what is going on :)
As for the stigma, and treatment, I've been treated like garbage several times in A&E, also when I visit my GP I've had that OMG look, the one you see, when someone thinks "Oh NO!" Not that Crazy woman again", I can't really explain the look, but it's obvious, as they want rid of you as soon as possible, so fob you off with a prescription, instead of looking what they could actually do to help.
I have had a few very great people treat me for SI, OD's etc, there was one doctor in A&E who took a very keen interest, and described me at the time as a very manic lady, and I did feel very manic and out of control at the time.
I had one doctor sing me the welsh national anthem at the bottom of my bead, willing me through after a bad OD, very caring, and very touching guy who encouraged me to attend A&E if I ever felt that bad again, things may have been easier and simpler for him and other A&E staff if my diagnoses were clearer :)
I'm not completely sure either, I think my diagnosis did good and bad. It was helpful, as it validated how I was feeling, knowing that I wasn't completely abnormal in some way. It also helped me reach out to others who had similar diagnoses and helped me feel less alone. As others said it also helped me receive the support I needed. Although I'm not sure this is always the case.
I personally don't agree with some of the diagnoses I have received in the past (some have now been changed) so obviously that was incredibly unhelpful as it led to a different treatment. And also made acceptance for myself harder. I also agree in part to what Jenna said regarding an ED diagnosis, it became more of an internal competition. But at the same time it made me quickly realise that this wasn't how I was supposed to handle food and weight.
Have you ever looked fear in the face and said "I just don't care"?
I found it helpful for my GP to recognise that my mental health issues were a reoccurring problem and that we needed a longer term strategy than just improving the depression I was experiencing at the time. At the same time they recognised that my mood was going up as well as down, which helped me get on a more suitable medication. I was also able to access more support that helped me learn how to stay well in between episodes. This has improved further since I got my diagnosis of bipolar but most of the improvement came when they started to think about what type of mental illness I might have.
It validated how I was feeling and my mood problems (bipolar), how much I was struggling (with the anorexia in particular), and the effect of what happened to me had (PTSD). I got proper help and the correct medications.
On the other hand, I very much didn't want a diagnosis as it feels like I am stuck with these labels for the rest of my life. Anorexia, in particular, because I think it has negative connotations for some and it's a 'young girl' illness (not true but that's how it's perceived by some) and because I'm scared that now I've put a bit of weight on people will look at me and think I'm a fake.
There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who, when presented with a glass that is exactly half full, say: 'This glass is half full'. And then there are those who say: 'This glass is half empty'.
The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: 'What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!
When I had an incorrect diagnosis I found my treatment more damaging however since being rediagnosed I'm finding it helpful in understanding my issues and getting more tailored support to my needs. Xx
