Blog

Seeing familiar experiences in an article about borderline personality disorder can raise questions. Recognition is a reason to talk, not a diagnosis.

Recognition is not diagnosis

It is common to read an article about borderline personality disorder and feel that parts of it describe you. That reaction can be unsettling. Recognising some experiences, however, is not the same as having a diagnosis. Intense emotions, turbulent relationships and a strong fear of being rejected can arise for many different reasons, including trauma, stress, other mental health conditions or simply difficult circumstances.

Dr Christine Shen, Acupuncturist, also holds psychotherapy qualifications, and she encourages people to treat such articles as a prompt for conversation rather than a conclusion.

Turning questions into notes

If an article struck a chord, try writing down a few concrete examples. What happened, how did you feel and how did it affect your work, relationships or wellbeing? Specific situations are more useful than general labels.

You can bring those notes to Christine and talk about whether a specialist mental health assessment makes sense. A diagnosis of this kind should only be made through a thorough assessment by an appropriately qualified professional, such as a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist. Your GP can arrange a referral and talk about a mental health care plan.

Focusing on support

The aim is to find appropriate understanding and help, not to decide who you are based on a checklist. No single label explains every difficulty, and people are more than a set of symptoms.

If you are having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, or feel unsafe, call 000 or a crisis line such as Lifeline immediately.

Setting priorities together

Your own aims should steer each session. Together you might map out what you are trying to understand and which changes feel out of reach for now. Check how regularly the direction will be reassessed and what extra services exist should things become harder.

Talking it through in Lane Cove

Bringing questions like these into a quiet room can feel easier than carrying them alone. In psychotherapy sessions at the Lane Cove clinic, Christine can work through sensible next steps with you, including whether specialist assessment should come first.