Is anyone afraid of being diagnosed?

[sht]

Hi!
I'm not sure how to start this post since it's my first one and English isn't my first language (Spanish is). Let me know if I made any writing mistakes.

I have been for the last few months into therapy. At the beginning, I was looking for a diagnose. But then, when I was able to get it, I started being afraid.

Does anyone else have fear of diagnosis? I think it could change everything, but not sure if it's going to be in a good way. Probably BPD. Sure depression.

BPD lasts forever? There is a possible recovery? I have read that a big percent of BPD people dies because of suicide. I may use it as an excuse for my suicidal thoughts (?).

If anyone reads this, thanks. I will try to improve my posts, if I continue with them.

 

[PublicDiary0606]

I don't know much about BPD but I do send out my love and hugs to you for the pain you're feelings. I was however afraid to get my diagnosis when I reached out for help.

During my teenage years, I thought the feelings I had was not real and perhaps just a phase. Going to a doctor would be my last option because I believed it'll just be overlooked as some teenage angst phase. As years go by, it comes and go but it got worse so I reached out for help from a doctor. I was treated for medication for a year but I didn't know what was my diagnosis because I was afraid it could be worse than expected. (Medication is not to treat your illness but to treat your symptoms.)

I then asked my doc about my diagnosis and he said "Major Depressive Disorder" aka Clinical Depression. Is a form of depression that could hardly be recovered from and could only be treated through your life. Most cases, people just cope better and live their lives. I was devastated, and it made me less motivated to be alive. Why would I want to live if I know what I'm going to experience is just depression? At the end of the day you're alive, and if data shows that your illness has a high death count due to suicide? For me, it's just data. If I can't be cured, it won't bother me as long as I live my life the way I want to. I hope you can find your own way on how you to live your life with your diagnosis. Much love Goodnight

 

[western_heart]

Depends on the diagnosis

I only keep personality/dissociative disorders between me and my therapist. Currently diagnosed with DID. PTSD, depression, and anxiety are safe for psychiatrists and other doctors to know about

 

[MlKE]

I was diagnosed with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) a recently, but at the age of 27. If I had been diagnosed when I was young circumstances would be very different. School would have access to other resources. I would have a better understanding of myself and others, and myself in relation to others.
Depending on what one gets diagnosed with some career paths may be off limits. My country does not allow people with autism and other diagnoses to serve in the armed forces, but I had already done that ten years prior it shows that a diagnosis only defines a person so much.
Maybe you should talk to a counselor and see if they can give a preliminary estimation of whether you could be diagnosed, and to what extent a diagnosis will help (or hinder) you in your future plans?
I spoke to a counselor about mental health issues and she in turn recommended I got properly screened by a doctor.

 

[MelancholyMagic]

Does anyone else have fear of diagnosis?

A "diagnosis" doesn't mean much. Just means that your shrink thinks you check certain boxes.

Let me know if I made any writing mistakes.

Your writing is fine. But because you asked, the sentence "I have been for the last few months into therapy." should probably be closer to this: "I have been in therapy for the last few months."

 

[Chemical Animal]

When I was younger, the idea of being diagnosed with any disorder was terrifying, because I was such a weirdo back in my school days that the idea of having a diagnosis felt like a government official statement of me being an aberration, an alien in a human skin, a thing not meant for this world.

Nowadays is the exact opposite: I am LOOKING FORWARD for a diagnosis. I reached a point in life that I became extremely exhausted and mentally unable of pretending to be a normal person and masking whatever condition I have, because of the increase on severity of depression, anxiety and existential crisis. I accepted that I'm not "normal" and I'm no longer afraid of whatever people might think of me, so I went through a neuro-psychological evaluation and I'm currently waiting for the results so I can plan a course of action to give life a second chance.

 

[Viranamari]

A diagnosis is nothing more than a name for your mental health issues. Unless your are going to be diagnosed with some severe ones like schizophrenia or disassociative identity disorder, nothing will change. If anything, it's going to be better since you know what is wrong and can seek treatment.

 

[jodes2]

Nah I'm not afraid of diagnoses at all. It's good to know what you've got. Yes, many people with BPD kill themselves, and it's hard to be treated for, but it tends to get easier after the age of about 40. Often people's BPD diagnosis goes away with age, they no longer satisfy enough of the criteria for a diagnosis

 

[thx1138]

Omg yes! I am VERY afraid of getting diagnosed. I've been struggling with mental health since I was a child, but never got a consistent diagnosis. I have no idea what my real diagnosis is. I had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, social anxiety, BPD, psychosis, anxiety, but now my doctor thinks I have paranoid schizophrenia. It seems to fit well, but I'm trying to reject it. I don't f****n know what is wrong with me, I just don't want it to be that.

That being said, no, even if you have BPD it's not a death sentence, and most people recover. I've also heard that it gets better with age. That's actually a better prognosis than many other disorders which don't get better with age. Whatever I have, it seems to be getting worse as I age, though I haven't reached 40 yet.

On the bright side, a diagnosis can help you be more aware of your symptoms and avoid them. E.g. for BPD you might notice "Oh, I'm doing the black and white thinking again" and this already helps you to stop thinking like that.

 

[situationalsui]

Sometimes you can have BPD traits without a meeting criteria for a full diagnosis. Sometimes that has been a comfort to me.

 

[User200]

Diagnosed bipolar recently . Worse part of it is crashing from high . You go from being able to dominate the world to feeling like worthless idiot . The low can take months so you really have to grit your teeth thought it .best part is the snap relief where ur brain finally accepts things and stops working against u.then you'll be able to channel the energy in positive ways . Cause thing is you have energy is all negative so you gotta use even more energy to keep that under control . What's left is barely enough to get out of bed let alone function . Endure it man . You gotta leatn to live on battery saver mode during the low