So errr, if you read my other thread you know about it that my counsellor is telling people etc..
anyway
what does it mean to have a personality disorder...do you get sectioned...what does it mean on the rest of your life..?
Do any of you guys have one? which one? what does it mean for you?
and any other info is very much appreciated
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul.
And sings the tune
Without the words,
and never stops at all.
-Emily Dickinson.
However long the night, the dawn will break.
-African Proverb.
i have a diagnosis of a personality disorder. you don't necessarily get sectioned, that very much depends upon your behaviour and also the care team you're working with. i've been diagnosed with a PD for about four years and i've never been sectioned - partly due to the fact my breakdowns happen when i'm on my own usually, and partly because when people say i should be in hospital, i go.
PD is generally a quite complex, severe disorder and can take over your whole life. it's often the result of childhood trauma, but not always. there are many factors that are believed to cause a PD, it's generally considered that one of the biggest things is environment (the way we were brought up, the emotional support or damage we experienced as children) but also there are genetic factors and chemical factors.
it is a treatable illness! it can take a very long time to start to feel better, but it very often does start to get better. this is particularly so if you engage well with therapists and do hard work, and if you're compliant with any medication you're prescribed. not everyone with PD takes medication. there are also a number of different kinds of personality disorder, one of the most common on RYL is Borderline Personality Disorder.
personality disorders are common illnesses, though some people experience them to a greater or lesser extent.
for me, my diagnosis makes little difference. as long as i get the help i need, it's fine. people treat me okay. i hope one day it'll get better.
There are a lot of different personality disorders and the treatment needed is completely specific to the disorder and the symptoms that are present.
With some personality disorders (particularly BPD) they are reluctant to admit people as people with BPD are likely to become reliant on having constant support and may become 'institutionalised'. Also, mental health profesionals like to keep people in the community as much as possible so unless you are a serious risk of harming yourself or others it is unlikely they will section you.
I havn't been diagnosed with a personality disorder as they can't diagnose you with one until you are 18+ but i have been diagnosed with having borderline traits. Because of this, i am in DBT therapy which teaches me how to cope with situations that my illness makes particularly difficult. An example of this is that my emotions are pretty all over the place and can be triggered by very minor things so they've taught me ways to get my emotional arousal level back to baseline, and other skills like that. Basically what i'm trying to say is that having a personality disorder does afffect your life but treatments including medication and therapy can help you to cope with what it throws at you.
Obviously i don't know you're situation and all, but is there someone you could talk to about your diagnosis and what treatment you will be having?
I'll stop rambling now (sorry!) but feel free to PM me for a chat or anything and take care
xx
Hi! I have borderline, dependent, and avoidant PD's.
Any troublesome symptoms that you have - you can learn to live with them and then eventually learn to live without them, because personality disorders are treatable. There are different kinds of therapy's you could try, different things you can learn to be able to deal with yours (DBT, for example). Just do your best to stay in some kind of therapy or treatment. Dunno too much about sectioning, though, because I live in the US. But I don't see how being diagnosed with automatically section you. Or effect your life in any other way than how it effects you. Well, good luck! PM me if you ever need anything, xxx.
Hi, I'm not sure if my psych has officially diagnosed me with BPD but the way she talks about my problems, I reckon that is what she has me down as, my old GP certainly did. I have been sectioned (by police and under section 2) but that was in error. It was only for a few days until I saw my own consultant. I tried to tell those that sectioned me that it wasn't the best option and unfortunately they didn't listen because at that time my behaviour was very chaotic and putting me in vulnerable situations. I suppose the few days in made me safe whilst I got over the worst. However, my consultant and my cpn recognise that hospital would not be good (I was recently offered an admission by a different dr again due to me being very unsafe at the moment). The change in the Mental Health Act makes it easier to section people who have personality disorders sue to the change in the definition of mental disorder (or whatever they call it). However, you would only ever be sectioned if you were considered a real danger to yourself or others and even though I frequently am a real danger to myself I don't get admitted because it would not be a good thing for me. In the past I have taken a coupole of different anti-depressants. I currently take an anti-psychotic to help me sleep and help reduce my self harm and impulsivity and it has helped. I am waiting for psychotherapy but it never seems to materialise as my cpn never seems to get his arse into gear. Psychotherapy will apparently be the best treatment long term for me. Sorry, I'm just trying to give you an idea of how I have been treated to give you an idea as to how different people are dealt with.
"Everything is possible through Christ, who gives me strength". Phillipians 4:13
I just wrote out a long reply and it got lost, sigh.
Firstly, read this book (if your pysch suspects you have BPD). It tells you everything you need to know about BPD. What the symptoms are, what it means to have it, how long you'll have it, what will help etc. Get anyone close to you to read it too.
Having a PD doesn't mean you are going to automatically get sectioned. You will only get sectioned if you are a danger to yourself or others and are refusing to go into or stay in hospital.
Typically, a PD stays with people until they are in their 30s/40s, however research has shown that any talking therapy or a hospitalisation will in 60% of people with BPD reduce their symptoms so much that in a few years they will not fit the criteria for BPD, and in ten years most of them will no longer fit the criteria.
A therapy called Dialectical Behaviour Therapy was created specifically for people with BPD.
There are no medications to treat PDs as a whole, they are only used for specific symptoms (such as an antidepressant for depressive symptoms and and antipsychotic for psychosis or dealing with self harm/racing thoughts).
There is a stigma attached to BPD. It's pretty notorious for being hard to treat, and many people get written off as being "manipulative". Unfortunately you will encounter MH professionals who have this view, but there are people out there who understand and will treat you properly.
I have BPD.
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 have BPD and have been sectioned and in hospital alot of times. mainly because i have been a danger to myself and couldnt keep safe.
when i take my meds and attend therapy i can leAd a normal life.
