my daughter has borderline personality disorder?

Hi,

like all mental health issues and indeed most physical ones also, they can happen at any age. It is in fact thought that borderline tendencies start at a young age or at least develop from there and are just reinforced and become more prominent as a person reaches young adulthood in particular. It is not usually diagnosed in children or teens because it can be hard to differentiate between fazes or hormone imbalance, mood swings etc in young people growing up or a personality Disorder. It is usually a case were professionals keep an eye on their patient growing up and their behaviour patterns but don't confirm a diagnosis until young adulthood. Obviously your doctor/psychiatrist feels your daughters mannerisms and behaviours warrant the diagnosis even at this young age.

You can get a second opinion if you are not happy with the diagnosis. Really the name of the condition sounds worse than it is. BPD can also be called emotionally unstable personality disorder which, when it comes down to it really describes an imbalance in a persons emotional ability to cope and react to stimulus that evokes usually negative emotions and feelings.

Your daughter is not alone, this condition is much more common than people realise.

all the best

x

Bronnie and Monkee 2 are right. You cannot have a personality disorder until the personality has developed. The criteria of fearing being alone, having mood swings, unstable relationships, shaky sense of self and black and white thinking would fit nearly all 12 year olds. In the same way all 4 year olds are psychopaths. The diagnosis of BPD is made when the person still has these tendencies as an adult. The psychiatrist cannot make this diagnosis now - possibly your daughter has these symptoms to a degree which is a concern for her future mental health but much can be done at 12. Here is the diagnostic criteria of which an ADULT has to have 5 to merit the diagnosis.

http://www.mind.org.uk/help/diagnoses_and_conditio...

get a second opinion. Personality disorders are not diagnosed until after the age of 18 because until then their personality is still forming and subject to change... a personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of perceiving and reacting to the world that is enduring and long term..... I think it is the new catch all though for some doctors. Was it a psychiatrist who diagnosed her? She could have "emerging" BPD, or she could have Oppositional defiance disorder, or Bipolar... But you are right, technically, according to the diagnostic criteria, she can not have Borderline. Definitely get a second opinion.... if she is Bipolar then the treatment is very different.

BPD has its beginnings in childhood - so it's not a surprise that your daughter is showing signs. I have BPD, and I knew there was something wrong before I was 10.

Just be glad that it was caught before she reached her teens. Catching it early, and treating it before it gets REALLY bad can reduce the suffering for your daughter, and everyone around her. It used to be that shrinks would not reach a diagnosis of BPD until 18 y/o was simply because ALL children and teens display the typical symptoms of borderline - that's just the way they are. It's when those symptoms become repetitive and interferes with their lives that it becomes a problem.

I wasn't officially diagnosed with BPD until I was about 29 - a long time to suffer with the symptoms. I had numerous psych hospitalizations, trouble with forming relationships, and general mayhem in my life before anyone even considered BPD. One shrink thought I was a psychopath, another thought I had schizophrenia.

Your daughter has a much better chance of avoiding the suffering if her disorder is treated early. Be glad of that.

This is ridiculous. Diagnosing a child with a personality disorder. This is damaging for a child. There certainly not benefit of dagnosing her (or even many adults in my opnion) her with this.

It would be on her medical notes for life and people, especially doctors would discrimnate against her for the rest of her life.

If the person diagnosing her thought it would get her help, it won't as if someone thinks she has this they'll give her some therapy which will probably be even more damanging because it will all stem from the belieft she has bpd, instead of her suffering from her own specific problems which are probably brought on by an unhealthy social environment in some way.

It is more likely that her environment that needs to be looked at and sorted out, not her. She was largely created by her environment (unless she had a serious head injury or something, in which case it won't be bpd).

I think you should get your daughter away from who ever diagnosed her and send her to nice places, surrounded by nice friendly people who will build her self esteem and where she will have lots of fun and develop interests and passions for things in life, be it sports, arts, scouts.

I'd say the best environment you can create for your daughter, if you really love her and want her to be happy is:

(1) for her to particpate in a sport at least weekly or more - maybe triathlon so she'll have 3 sports (triathlete clubs are usually very friendly and welcoming and accepting) or any other sport club.

(2) for her to be in another social group that is with nice and good people she can learn from

(3) for her to have a good eat and sleep regime

(4) for her to enjoy time alone, either reading or learning something (really important to be happy alone).

(5) for her to enjoy learning and keep wanting to learn and read and then she'll have interesting things to talk about with people and then she will meet nice and more interesting people.

Best wishes

Nobody will be diagnosed with a personality disorder at 12. A personality isn't formed in women until they are around 24 years of age and for that reason, people under 18 are not diagnosed.

I wouldn't take that 'diagnosis' with any seriousness whatsoever and suggest you see a different doctor. I just do not believe a diagnosis of a personality disorder has been made at 12 years old - its not possible

at 12 yo cannot have borderline personality disorder - she can have traits that resemble BPD & give her higher risk of developing it but as her personality is not yet developed then she should not be diagnosed with a personality disorder. She is not old enough to start establishing meaningful relationships & around 90% of children her age display traits of BPD. I would be seeking another opinion personally.

can a person be diagnosed with schizophrenia and border line personality disorder

Nope anyone can get it,it's brought on by stress etc. I'm 15 and diagnosed with Schizophrenia.Although i still disagree I have it. Get her retested when shes about 18 because that's when her personality is fully developed.

Misdiagnosis with BPD is very common. Consult a clinical psychologist, who believes in the use of the minimum amount of medications necessary. Because they don't prescribe, they are considerably less likely to be targeted by the sales reps from "BIG PHARMA". Ensure that you get a written copy of any tests performed (they may retire, or move, etc.). Go to whoever is recommended for the prescription of any necessary medications (less likely to be effective with true BPD).

"She was diagnosed with it and she is 12" - It may well be hormonally related. View: http://www.womentowomen.com/assessments/hormonalhe... I recommend the chapter by Dr. Hyla Cass - See: "NATURAL HEALING FOR DEPRESSION" - Stroehecker - *SEARCHBAR- WWW.AMAZON.COM (largely about NATURAL HORMONE TREATMENT) provided the best overview of hormonal imbalances in females that I have encountered in decades. Enter her name in the searchbar at amazon; I also recommend her latest book, or audio course: Eight Weeks to Vibrant Health: A Take Charge Plan for Women to Correct Imbalances, Reclaim Energy and Restore Well-Being by Hyla Cass MD and Kathleen Barnes (view http://alternative-complementary-health.… ).

Read: Natural Prescriptions for Women: What to Do-- And When to Do It-- To Solve More Than 100 Female Health Problems-- Without Drugs by Susan Berg and The Editors of Prevention Health Books, from your bookstore, or Amazon.com. Girls could benefit by maintaining a daily journal, and mood chart, (rating out of 10) and seeing if they can correlate it with their menstrual cycle. If so, take the quiz on page R, at 8m.com about PMS/PMDD. Take the quiz at http://www.womentowomen.com/assessments/%E2%80%A6 and consider signing up for their free newsletter, and check out http://www.safemenopausesolutions.com/cl%E2%80%A6 Use http://www.patientslikeme.com/mood/commu%E2%80%A6 - MOOD CONDITIONS FORUM. Many other teenage girls experience similar problems, but women advise that, as they mature, get more used to their changing bodies, their raging hormonal fluctuations, and their brains reach full development in early adulthood, and they find their way in the world, then things get better.

There may be no single answer to your problems, but the sensible approach is to test for vitamin (optimising vitamin D3) and mineral deficiencies; correct, and ensure good levels of Omega 3 fatty acids. Dr. J. Cannell advises that the co-factors necessary to optimise its absorption, and utilisation are magnesium, zinc, boron, and vitamin K2. I recommend using either health food/vitamin stores, or Googling: " ... ; supplies" rather than risking any old, or substandard products at supermarkets, or even on pharmacy shelves. The best dietary source of vitamin K2 is natto. View http://drbenkim.com/vitamin-d-facts.htm

Grassrootshealth D action www.grassrootshealth.net/daction offer cost price postal 25(OH)D testing. Take at least 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily: (certified free of mercury) it is best if consumed with an antioxidant, such as an orange, or its FRESHLY SQUEEZED juice. If vitamin E is added, it should be certified as being 100% from natural sources, or it may be synthetic: avoid it! Similarly with vitamin B; ensure good levels of folate are maintained. Females may benefit by balancing the DHA, & EPA versions of Omega 3 in fish, or krill oil with ALA flaxseed oil Omega 3, or at least one heaped tablespoonful of ground flaxseed, daily. Vegetarians: Google: "Omega 3; algae; supplies" Check out "krill oil" via the searchbar at www.mercola.com which is far less easily oxidised, so more is absorbed; from health food, or vitamin stores. Vegetarians: Google: "Omega 3; algae; supplies" and use it with flaxseed. Stabilise hormonal levels with bioidentical hormones from a compounding pharmacy; consult a naturopath.

If BPD is confirmed; see http://your-mental-health.weebly.com/g.html and page X about it.