Psychologists or therapists please: what would you say is wrong with her?

Question

I believe my best friend has a few problems and I'm curious as to what medical/psychological professionals would diagnose her with based on the limited information that I can provide here; at least it would be good to have somewhere to start; i want to help her.

* she has both masochistic and sadistic tendencies; she enjoys physical pain in addition to causing emotional pain in others. sometimes she finds herself hurting the people she loves most without really knowing why. the guy that she is in love with has been very deeply hurt by her many times. she doesn't feel that she should even be allowed to love him and i think she subconciously does the things she does to him in order to push him away and make him stop loving her, but afterwards she feels even worse, often resorting to cutting/self-injury as a release. she is also deeply involved in BDSM.

* she has told me that she thinks she is a nymphomaniac. she has had over 20 sexual partners and she is only 19 years old. she also occasionally uses hard drugs, and drinks often.

*she is an EXCELLENT liar and manipulates others constantly for her own benefit or even entertainment/out of boredom.

* she has serious issues with self-hatred; she often 'scares herself' and doesn't know what she's capable of. she has told me that she has considered suicide at a few points in her life.

* she has been to a psychiatrist at two points in her life: one in middle school when she acted as if she had depression to keep her parents away/make them leave her alone so she could participate in secret/illicit activities; and one in tenth grade after moving to a new place, again for 'depression'. (she has never actually been seriously depressed) both times, she manipulated the therapist, playing mind games and eventually convincing them that she had OCD (she definitely does not) but otherwise was fine. she doesn't think she's capable of actually taking a psychiatry appointment seriously and 'getting help'. she keeps almost everything to myself aside from confided pretty much everything in me, and she trusts almost no one.

however, she is tired of hurting everyone in her life including herself and wants to change for the better. she believes she is capable of doing this by herself, but i think it'd be great to get some advice on how and where to start. if more information or clarification is needed, please ask and i'll provide more details.

thank you!

Answer 1

The sexual promiscuity, suicide ideation, drug abuse, and the manipulation of others sounds quite a bit like borderline personality disorder.  You should look that up on the net, get a few different sources, and compare the symptoms to what your friend has.  I think you'll be surprised how close of a match it is.  However, you can't exactly "diagnose" her, so if you think BPD is spot on, then your next step is to try to find her some good help.

Answer 2

She sounds like a narcissist with compulsive tendencies.  

Answer 3

I'ts hard to say whats wrong with her...i think its numerous things, i think as for the saddomasochism, she may have been subjected to violence or made to hurt people so got used to it...i think it isnt schizophrenia but something related, she is only a nymphomaniac if she feels compelled to have s*x...as nymphomania is an addiction...i think getting a proper psycholoist to do some tests such as psychoanalysis and possibly hypnosis would be beneficial

Answer 4

I think she is a sociopath.

Sociopaths are excellent at deception - they can lie, cheat, and steal to get what they want, using the people that they are closest to.

They tend to be intelligent in the sense that they are very guile and hedonistic.

Do not think that her honesty about wanting to change is true, if she is a sociopath, this is another one of her mind games.

Sociopaths usually pick up on human reception to their social interactions quickly and easily.

She could probably sense that you were concerned about her and questioning her sanity.

She is now putting on this depression act, and going to great lengths to make it believable.

You need to think more deeply into this than just what she is telling you. You need to think simply.

What would be her motives for putting on this act, and confiding in you?

She wants your sympathy and your help, because that will keep you around.

Why would she need you - what does it matter if you were to stop befriending her?

Think about what she personally gains from your friendship.

Sociopaths use those that they are closest to, because it is easier to fool someone who thinks they know you well than it is to fool a stranger. And if someone is a "close friend" they are willing to do more for you.

You need to think very strongly about what she could be using you for already and/or what she could use you for in the future.

If you want to think deeper, consider how everyone that is close to her, such as her boyfriend, benefits her in some way. What does she get out of any of this?

The answers won't be clear to you, because it is easy for her to decieve those closest to her.

Answer 5

why dont you get professional help rather than trying for low quality "free counseling" on a public forum.  See a real professional, nothing you get here will be anything near the quality you will get from seeing someone.