Hello! I’m mostly writing this to get feedback on issues I think I might have; I have suspicions. Sometimes I wake up with a knot in my stomach for no reason, or have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, and have trouble keeping calm in public (I’m more than certain I have generalized anxiety and depression – irritability, nervousness, sluggishness, upset stomach/nausea, panic in public situations). I’ve come out of an abusive relationship recently, and have severe anxiety attacks and panic when I think about my abuser, so I also believe somewhere mixed in with generalized anxiety, I have a case of PTSD-induced anxiety and anxiety attacks.
Another concern I have is that I might also suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder – I value loved ones dearly, but as soon as our usually brief friendship is over, I loathe them (and even within the friendship/relationship my opinions on them can change drastically daily); I occasionally drink, recklessly spend money, or harm myself in bouts of depression; I view myself very lowly and hate myself; I get mood swings daily (I get very, very angry at very small, inconsequential things, and the anger can last from an hour to maybe even a couple hours at a time, and my depression and anxiety can flare up at very small things also); I feel “empty” and “bored” quite often; in very strong cases of anxiety or paranoia, I suffer from disassociation.
Occasionally, I do have OCD-like symptoms, where things have to be done a certain way or said a certain way or written a certain way or else I feel very uncomfortable and can give me anxiety. It does happen every day, but it isn’t as detrimental to my everyday life as the anxiety and depression and suspected BPD. I know this isn’t a professional diagnosis, and I am looking into seeing a doctor, but it would be nice to get a second opinion until I can arrange a visit and get diagnosed. Thank you very much for reading. (age 20, from US)
I think the important thing for you is to focus less on what your diagnosis is and more on getting help, so I’m glad that you plan to make an appointment. From what you have listed here, you do have elements of all the diagnoses that you listed, but especially depression and anxiety. There’s also the possibility of bipolar disorder considering the mood swings and impulsive behaviors that you mentioned. However, having a thorough evaluation with a trained mental health professional will help you not only clarify possible diagnoses, but plan for the best treatment approach — which may include therapy and medication.
Most of us have elements of psychological and/or medical diagnoses, and the more we read about them, the more convinced we may become that we have them. But there are specific criteria that must be met to truly qualify for a disorder and the symptoms have to be severe enough to interfere with daily functioning. Luckily, that last criteria means most of us wouldn’t be diagnosed with everything we think we might. Hope this helps.
All the best,
Dr. Holly Counts
