Lived Experience Forum

[Judi9877]

@AndrewSpectrum  I hope so because I’m to the point where I’m too scared to approach the hospital in my area for help because I’ve been told that I waste time and resources and that I’m not to front up to the emergency department anymore for help. This is even when I’ve been in distress and having suicidal thoughts. My GP knows this and he’s worried about me.

[nashy]

Heya @outlander thank you for sharing. Is this mainly due to stigma or just feeling as though you have not needed to?  

[Lise07]

I also find the "attention-seeking" stereotype funny as I would have probably started treatment a decade earlier if I hadn't deliberately been avoiding attention.

[nashy]

understandable to feel this way @Judi9877 Sounds like you have a good GP by your side Thank you for sharing this, hopefully this changes over time with more education throughout the sector. 

[Fracturedlight]

The professionals I see will not give me a diagnosis because they prefer not to label people...which I do agree with however from what I've read and investigated about BPD i believe I do have it. How do I actually get diagnosed? The stigma around it is terrifying. Having only been released from hospital a night ago I think majority of hospital staff need re-education about all mental health. The things I heard some of the nurses saying I will not repeat...makes you feel worse and that there is something wrong with you and that you are alone

[roses1]

My son has had such a bad experience with mental health system over the years I cannot now get him to understand things have changed.  I can’t get him to access services to help him

[outlander]

@nashy i dont really find it neccessary to tell every person i meet that i have mental health issues let alone a specific diagnosis. I tell some of the health professionals but mostly its in my notes so dont really mention it unless i find/realise something the matches that diagnosis ie chronic self harm or suicidal thoughts often come with bpd in general

[nashy]

Agreed @Fracturedlight I think it would be really beneficial for the hospitals to get some up-skilling around complex mental health. Hopefully some of the input into the royal commission will provide a positive output Thank you for sharing this.

[nashy]

Wow, so many great insights so far from you all. So good to know that we're all working towards breaking down some of these misconceptions together

Moving onto Question Two...

As BPD is a developmental experience, sometimes it takes a while to become aware we are actually living with it. For some, diagnosis has been a really important part of the recovery process. For others having a mecial label isn’t so important.

Do you find the label of BPD helpful to your recovery journey? If so what have been the positives?

[BlueBay]

I don’t tell anyone thst I have BPD. It’s kept a secret. Only my support people know. @nashy