Think my GP might suspect something and not have told me?

Question

I've been seeing my GP for self harm and some other issues. I saw one Dr for 4 appointments then she got a new job else where so i'm now seeing another one (had 2 appointments). Both have been very kind, caring and understanding of evrything.

The first doctor referred me for an assesment at a hospital but then the second doctor told me she was referring me to see a phychiatrist in the surgery (i think instead).

During my last appoiment i saw a letter from the hospital to my GP. She showed me it briefly but just sort of 'here's a letter i got from....' but i couldn't really read anything on it.

Although..i did see something about borderline personality disorder in the letter. Just didn't see the context it was in. It wasn't in a list of disorders or anything...just included in the letter.

I've heard about this condition before and actually occasionally wondered wethter i had it seeing as i seem to beable to relate to a lot of the symptoms. I usually try to stay away from the whole 'self diagnosis' just so 1-i dont start thiking i have something when really i'm prefectly normal 2-it's terrifying thinking i might have something wrong.

It's just after i suspected it but put the thought away becuse of the above reasons then seeing it written down in an appointment just made me wonder...

Is it possible my doctor suspects something but isn't telling me? Or maybe this hospital? Or maybe i'm just over reacting for no reason? Why would she want to keep it a secret from me?

Also my doctor was really wanting me to bring a friend who i trust to the next appointment. Could she be wanting to question her about me? Why would she want to see her?

Hmm...what do you think is going on? (is anything :S)

Thanks

Answer 1

First of all, trust your doctor. if they aren't telling you something now, they will when they think you need to know.

i think you are just overreacting, but next time you see your doctor, just ask, if there's something to know, she'll tell you.

which doctor wants you to bring a friend? the phychiatrist? or the GP doctor? both of them may want to simply see that you have a supportive network around you to help you work through whatever issues you may have.

i've been through a similar situation, so know how you feel. if you need anything, feel free to send me and email or something.

i hope things work out for you mate :)

Answer 2

Definitely bring it up. Definitely ask why she wants to see your friend. If they're diagnosing you with BPD and not telling you - there's a problem. Borderline carries a tremendous stigma among health professionals, which is why they often don't like to diagnose patients with it. But if it's sitting their in your records and they're talking amongst each other about it, then that horse is out of the barn and you shouldn't be the last to know.

Edit:  People with BPD are often assumed to be difficult and demanding, so it's natural that you might try to compensate for that perception by becoming incredibly compliant or submissive. But that's no solution. You have to learn to be reasonably assertive and have a sense of your own legitimate rights.

You have a right to know (and should know) your diagnosis. You have a right to know what's in your medical record. There shouldn't be surprises in there.

You have a right to not have your close friends involved. (There's something called medical privacy).

If they think you do have BPD, you have a right to get treatment from somebody who knows what they're doing. I've attached the APA guidelines for the treatment of BPD so you have some idea what kinds of treatment are appropriate.