Psychological testing

And, they've suggested borderline personality disorder as well.

Hello @jgl15

I can certainly understand how you could be confused after going through so many tests and having so many different diagnoses.

You say that, "more confused because I'm very high functioning – my friends and family believe nothing is wrong, I'm a high performer at work, but I know something is very , extremely off." Since you don't mention what your specific symptoms are, I thought that I would provide you first with the symptomatology for Bipolar Disorder:

And here is the symptoms for Borderline Personality Disorder,

You might take a look at the symptoms for each disorder and see how many are similar to your current problems. This might help you to get a handle on a possible diagnosis.

I would like to hear from you again and know how you are working through this process. I hope that you find answers to what sounds like a perplexing problem. Will you post again?

Hi, @jgl15 - sorry to hear you have had this experience where undergoing psychological testing only provided confusion, rather than answers.

I'd like to invite @dizzydaisy, who has mentioned psychological testing, to join in see if she may have experienced some of this, too, and to share about her experiences with psychological testing. @peabody88 @gailb @ainsleigh and @parus may also have insights to contribute to this discussion.

You mentioned that you are going to have a deeper evaluation using the DSM with your therapist. Do you know what all the deeper evaluation will involve, @jgl15?

Since psychological testing has been used for years I would like to believe they are of some value. Years ago I was presented with a battery of them. that being said the only thing information revealed was that I am passive and avoid conflict. Like this I did not know!!!! This type of testing can be a disappointment and leave one feeling even more discouraged.
I am not one that looks for some deep hidden meaning to things. I could become cynical and sarcastic. I will abstain and return my passion to my seasonal pumpkin spice coffee and pass over a pet peeve.

@hopeful33250 I just read through both and I apologise about the delay. Hurricane Michael. I seem to fit both, honestly. For bipolar, I'm definitely either cyclothymic or NOS. My mood changes constantly and sometimes it's anger totally inappropriate such as is common in BPD. This past week my boyfriend suggested he's not sure he wants to marry me, and I've had the level of fear comparable to someone close to me dying. We've dated almost four years, but the kind of fear and anger I'm feeling still doesn't feel normal. I have a history of abuse in several areas and used to be an alcoholic in college, so BPD looks like a fit. It's just my very physical symptoms that have made this confusing, which may be due to Central sensitization

@lisalucier yes I did my first appointment with a psychologist to dig deeper. She took out the DSM IV and we started going question by question, such as asking if I experience 3 or more of the following symptoms...etc. then to dig deeper, for example if I say yes to if i do impulsive purchases, she has me provide more detail on my answer. So for example, for that question, I told her I used to go on shopping sprees every week, averaging $200, on clothing and shoes I often never wore. Since changing medication, I go on shopping sprees maybe once every few weeks, under $100.

So as you can imagine, this process will probably take quite some time.

What are your thoughts on this?

@jgl15 It is a start. No matter how silly some questions may seem they surely give information that can be helpful. Be as cooperative and honest as you can. The journey to getting help can be long. Do the best you can. Glad to hear the change in medication is helping.

Update from me - we finished the in depth psychological testing and I'm diagnosed, according to my psychotherapist, as having BPD. It does fit me a little cleaner than bipolar I think, and thankfully treatment seems to be helping. I'm doing DBT and it has been a life saver. My boyfriend is still moving out, and life isn't perfect, but I am definitely making progress.

Thanks for the update, @jgl15 . I'm glad to hear that treatment is working for you and that you can see progress.
Keep up the good work. I'm looking forward to hearing from you again.

Hi, @jgl15 - I'd like to echo @hopeful33250 in thanking you for the update that you are making progress and have a clear diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD) now.

I'd also like you to meet @amberpep @gailb, members in the Connect Mental Health group.

Will you share a little bit about what the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) has involved for you thus far?