Anyone know a therapist in the Uk who treats BPD?

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GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENT This board is intended for general questions about BPD and other personality disorders, trait definitions, and related therapies and diagnostics. Topics should be formatted as a question. Please do not host topics related to the specific pwBPD in your life - those discussions should be hosted on an appropraite [L1] - [L4] board. You will find indepth information provided by our senior members in our workshop board discussions (click here).

[oglobaith]

Is there anyone on the board from the Uk who has any knowledge of therapists experienced in treating BPD? 

[lbjnltx]

found this when i googled dbt uk

all of the below referenced come from this site:

http://www.mind.org.uk/help/medical_and_alternative_care/dialectical_behaviour_therapy#find

it also has a good description of what the dbt model looks like.


Mindinfoline
PO Box 277,Manchester, M60 3XN
tel: 0845 766 0163 email: info@mind.org.uk
For information on a variety of mental health topics and both national and local services.


email: mail@bpdworld.org web: www.bpdworld.org
Provides information, advice and support to those affected by personality disorder. Also provides a directory of therapists.


National Personality Disorder Website
website: www.personalitydisorder.org.uk
Offers information, resources and learning opportunities on personality disorders and their treatment, including self-management. Also supports development of the National Personality Disorder Programme. The website includes areas for carers, service providers and commissioners.

lbjnltx

[oglobaith]

Thanks a lot.  My bpd dd25 went to see the dr today of her own accord.    She said the dr told her she doesn't have bpd  , has put her on anti-depressants and is going to organise counselling for her.  I'm thankful that she seems to be moving in the right direction and keep trusting the Lord to show her the right way.

[GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENT]

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENT This board is intended for general questions about BPD and other personality disorders, trait definitions, and related therapies and diagnostics. Topics should be formatted as a question. Please do not host topics related to the specific pwBPD in your life - those discussions should be hosted on an appropraite [L1] - [L4] board. You will find indepth information provided by our senior members in our workshop board discussions (click here).

[Sade]

My former partner is having Transference Based Psychodynamic Therapy on the Nhs.
A sentence which sticks out to me in your second post is that your partners dr told her she doesn't have bpd. Was this her gp? In the Uk a gp can diagnose and prescribe for depression.  More serious mental health issues are referred to the local mental health team. I feel it is very unlikely that a gp would tell a patient they DON'T have bpd.  My partners initial mental health assessment does not use the words bpd but it does highlight some of the criteria for diagnosis, meaning other qualified people who read it know what they are dealing with.  You have to pay attention to what the mental health professionals are saying to you as it is often implicit rather than explicit.  Google Transference Based Psychodynamic Therapy and find out what it's prescribed for and you'll see what I mean. My partner has never been told he has bpd yet he's being treated for it.

[lbjnltx]

My partner has never been told he has bpd yet he's being treated for it.

given the stigma that the name "personality disorder" carries...this is probably a well calculated move on the part of his t/pdoc.

that he is being treated for it is what is important!

lbjnltx

[UKannie]

My former partner is having Transference Based Psychodynamic Therapy on the Nhs.

Wow that is amazing. That is the first time I've heard of the NHS paying for any course of therapy other than counselling or CBT. I've had bad experiences of the NHS and mental health in general. As a family we've had to fight for adequate treatment for my dad who is schizophrenic - he is on drugs which control it now, thank heavens but GPs have got things really wrong in the past because they have tried to treat him themselves rather than let him have regular access to specialist care.

Mum is probably BPD/NPD and has never been diagnosed with anything. She was prescribed tranquilisers in the 70s and 80s 'to help cope with my dad' - she has only ever been diagnosed with anxiety. When she developed ME/CFS in the 90s she was referred (I believe inappropriately) to a CBT therapist to deal with (as far as I know) the physical symptoms. What happened after that was a long story, but basically the therapist told the GP she could not deal with my mum's aggression towards her anymore. My GP told me this when I was 18. I think the GP sensed something was very wrong with her as he was always advising me to leave home as soon as I could.

I am now 38 and spend approx £200 per month on private therapy (I have masses of emotional issues and BPD 'fleas' after being 'brought up' by the pair of them) - I can just about afford this and am grateful that I have a job that pays well. In fact the therapy helps me hold down my job, and has saved my relationship with my partner. If I lost my job (I escaped redundancy in November) I have no idea how I would get the help I need.

I have never heard an NHS professional suggest my mother may have a PD (she has never self-harmed and is very high-functioning so maybe she doesn't fit their stereotype). One of my struggles has been that doctors hear the word 'schizophrenia' and assume all my issues stem from my dad whatever I tell them. Some of them have implied I have 'bad genes' and have said I am 'lucky' to have escaped schizophrenia myself.

Sorry I have gone off-topic slightly but it is such a relief that someone has raised the UK situation on the board. My experience is that PDs are not in many UK GPs' clinical vocabulary. And my guess is that they are reluctant to refer to community psychiatric teams and psychiatric consultants (who can potentially diagnose) because of NHS resourcing issues. Instead they hand over (cheap) SSRIs to their patients like sweets and if you're lucky you'll get a few sessions of CBT from an NHS support worker who is very well-intentioned but has minimal training.

My grandmother was severely BPD (again I am guessing) and it got worse as she aged. At one point in her 80s, she was put on SSRI anti-depressants, anti-psychotics and tranquilisers - it appeared her GP had simply run out of options and just kept adding to her prescription. That in my opinion is potentially clinical malpractice and it was my mother of all people who had to point that out to him and suggest that she might need a visit from a CPN. When he heard someone use professional jargon he suddenly 'woke up' and realised we could not be fobbed off.

Now the government are planning to get GPs to commission services rather than PCTs - I don't understand the politics of this at all - but I am worried this situation will get even worse. I have a lot of respect for the GP profession but they are generalists not specialists and they are not equipped to diagnose and treat complex mental health disorders. Yet often they do not and will not refer to secondary care and do not acknowledge when they are out of their depth when 'the drugs don't work'.

Please by all means challenge me if I have got some of this wrong and the picture I am painting is overly bleak. I would love to be wrong.

Annie

[scotlandthebrave]

Hi

I am also in the UK 

I am afraid I don't know of any therapists experienced in treating bpd. What I do know from experience is that in the UK bpd is usually diagnosed as bi-polar or depression and then anti-depressants prescribed by a GP (the good old NHS!). Unfortunately these prescription drugs can make bpd symptoms worse - especially if combined with alcohol or illegal drugs.

[oglobaith]

My daughter was initally prescribed Prozac by the 'new' GP in our practice - however I went to see the senior partner who has been my GP for 20yrs and expressed my concern that, having actually got to the point of deciding she needed help, she may not get the appropriate treatment.  He assured me he heard my concerns and would discuss it with the GP currently treating her, and the next time she went she was told not to worry about taking the Prozac and just to wait for the referral to a mental health specialist.  I'm waiting with bated breath to find out if she will be offered DBT or something else to suit her needs. I'll research Tranference Based Psychodynamic Therapy - never heard of it before!

[UKannie]

My daughter was initally prescribed Prozac by the 'new' GP in our practice - however I went to see the senior partner who has been my GP for 20yrs and expressed my concern that, having actually got to the point of deciding she needed help, she may not get the appropriate treatment.  He assured me he heard my concerns and would discuss it with the GP currently treating her, and the next time she went she was told not to worry about taking the Prozac and just to wait for the referral to a mental health specialist.

Well done for querying the issue with the senior partner Sounds like she is now on the road to getting the help she needs.
Your daughter is lucky to have such a loving and supportive mum. Sending to both you and to her.

Annie

[Blossom]

The problem is having a good GP. If a patient has a concern about their mental health, they need to be (and can ask to be) referred to a psychiatrist because it is not the place of a GP to provide psychiatric care unless it's done in agreement with the mental health team. These situations can be hard because a lot of GPs have little or no knowledge surrounding mental illness or they themselves.

After referral to a (good!) psychiatrist and a diagnosis the usual treatment for BPD would be referral to DBT and support from CPNs along with medication, if appropriate. There is specialist therapy out there, including Therapeutic Communities (either in-patient or out-patient) but there are very, very few of these (two in Scotland, i think) with small groups of members and a very hard time getting admitted but they are funded by the NHS and worth investigating.

The key is getting good professionals taking on the pwBPDs care and also knowing your rights (IE to see other professionals).

Also: if looking for therapists, the BACP has a 'therapist finder' that's worth using.

[Sade]

These are all really helpful and interesting posts.  My former partner was not refered for psychotherapy by his gp, he was refered by Alcohol Services. He was only seeing Alchohol Services as he had been substance abusing at work and his attendance at Alcohol Services was a condition of him keeping his job. He works in the public sector, if he'd been drinking on the job in the private sector he would probably have been sacked.

[samantha1981]

I'm also in the UK, my pwBPD has been prescribed prozac and we are awaiting the mental health team, it does take a while, and many doctors visits, for both of us to even get this far, and there's still a good way to go I believe. You really have to keep persisting until they take your problems seriously. my husband has been willing to get help so far and that makes things easier. This is probably beacuse I gave his the option of seeking help or losing me and our son. I hope the professionals can meet us halfway and do their bit

[Sade]

I spoke to my husband's psychotherapist and he asked me if I was getting any help myself. I said I had mentioned to my GP (different to my partner's) that my partner was diagnosed with. Bi-polar. The psychotherapist said 'mmmmmm. It might be an idea to register with his gp instead. That way you can get more specific help.' ; meaning his gp knows it's not bi-polar disorder they're dealing with.