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ADHD and Borderline Personality Disorder in other people?

ADHD and Borderline Personality Disorder in other people?2013-04-30T17:33:25+00:00

The Forums Forums Emotional Journey Is It Just Me? ADHD and Borderline Personality Disorder in other people?

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  • #120226

    CherylW
    Member
    Post count: 12

    I was diagnosed with adhd originally as a kid, stopped meds for a long time, then re-diagnosed about 5 years ago. Well, after going through more “testing”, I was told I have Borderline Personality Disorder too. No, it’s not the same as Multiple Personality, it’s actually more like a constant bipolar “roller coaster” emotionally. I’ve done CBT, so I know that’s helped me lots with what I’ve gone through, and am going through, but I don’t know of anyone else who has both ADHD AND BPD….. If you do, what “tips/techniques” do you know of?

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    #120228

    Patte Rosebank
    Participant
    Post count: 1517

    @CherylW, I’ve wondered about that, myself.

    There’s so much overlap between symptoms of psychiatric conditions, that it’s often hard to definitively diagnose one disorder or the other.  And the symptoms of BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) and ADHD overlap a lot!

    Both are situational, so they can make you feel as if you have several different “me”s, instead of just one “me”.  You’re reacting & changing your behaviour dramatically, to suit the situation as you interpret it.  It’s as if you have no personality of your own; you’re just reflecting what’s around you.  What Peter Sellers meant when he said, “There is no real me.  There was one, once, but I had it removed.”

    ADHD and BPD both come with emotions that are very strong, and a very black/white view of things.  You can see how this could lead to a series of unstable relationships.

    They say that when ADHD comes along, it often brings “friends”.  (That’s a nicer way of saying, “co-morbidities”.)  And it appears that ADHD & BPD are buddies.  In fact, ADHD occurs 5 times more often in people with BPD than in the general population.

    So, maybe you *do* know people who have both ADHD and BPD!

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    #120241

    kc5jck
    Participant
    Post count: 845

    Somewhere on this site I remember reading about a “green” book on DBT for BPD.  Checking Amazon, I think it is:

    The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation & … Tolerance (New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook)

    It would probably be worth your while to get it.  Even one useful suggestion or tip can be worth the price of the book.  I doubt you’ll find anything that addresses both ADD and BPD and the unique problems associated with being both.  There are several good books on ADHD available from Amazon and the store at this site.

    If you get the “green” book, Let us know what you think.

    You can also check: http://bpdfamily.com/

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    #120264

    CherylW
    Member
    Post count: 12

    See, I’ve gone for cognitive behavior therapy, and, after being told, I went for anger management also, it just seems like there isn’t much about ADHD and BPD as a “mix”. I live in a REALLY small town in mid-west Manitoba, (pop being about 3000 within the rm), and the only way the public mental health worker will help people is with CBT. They even told me that they have personal doubts about BPD, just “that it says in the books that it would be a possible diagnosis”. 🙁 Anyone on these forums possibly have both themselves also?

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    #120272

    HotinFC
    Member
    Post count: 8

    I would ALWAYS get a 2nd opinion about a BPD diagnosis. Lots of things can generate BPD “hallmarks”. You didn’t mention what kind of testing you were subjected to, but good diagnosis means eliminating absolutely EVERY other possibility. I can’t tell you the number of times people laid that one on me without any sort of real knowledge or understanding of my personal history. Even though you are rural I hope the opportunity to meet with another MPH will present itself. IMHO opinion it will be well worth the time and effort. No matter what DBT is a great course of treatment and benefits anyone with mood disorders. Gentle hugs and encouragement from a fellow traveler 🙂

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