How do I approach my psychiatrist about a PD?
I really believe that I have a personality disorder or something similar. I've been diagnosed with Asperger's and general anxiety disorder, but there are a lot of other things wrong with me that don't fit into either of those categories. A lot of my issues stem from years of being abused and ostracized by my peers and even people I considered close friends. My parents could never understand me and made things worse ( my dad caught me cutting once and asked if I wanted a gun), so I became a stranger in my own home. I had nobody to talk to about any of this.
I won't go into details about my feelings, but I'd like to know how I should approach my psychiatrist about it. I usually write my thoughts out on paper and have him read them. Somehow this is more comfortable for me. Most of the feelings we discuss are current and have nothing to do with my personality traits, but my feelings stem from those traits. I was thinking I should write these things down and see if he puts the pieces together. I feel that if I were direct, he'd think I'm an idiot and I'm pushing for a diagnosis. The truth is that I'd like to know that I don't have a personality disorder, but at the same time, putting a label on something is comforting to me. It's like taking all of the symptoms and putting them into a neat folder. Like when I was diagnosed with Asperger's, it was like this big "aha" moment in my life, but it still didn't explain everything.
I've even been asking a series of questions about myself to people who know me very well (without telling them why I'm asking of course) and everyone's answers have been the same. This could mean nothing or it could mean a lot. I'm not sure. I just really want an answer to the question "What the hell is wrong with me?".
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Radda Radda
Hi again Shadewraith! Do continue writing down stuff for your psychiatrist. He will be better able to help you if he knows more about what is going on inside you. Tell him about these non spectrum traits. He may be able to figure out what it means, and be able to better help you once he and you both know more about your situation.
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If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured, or far away.--Henry David Thoreau
We talked about it today and he feels that it's either bipolar or borderline personality disorder. They both seem almost identical, but he's treating me as if it were bipolar right now, starting with giving me something to make me sleep better and without having disturbing thoughts that keep me awake. My other doctor thinks I show signs of C-PTSD. I'm wondering if I should keep a journal of any mood changes I might have.
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Radda Radda
