Adult Step-daughter in diagnosis process

[Parents! Get help here!]

My husband and 47 year old daughter went together to first appt. Being caucious about her outbursts, asked to have 10 minutes with therapist first. He did not have an opportunity to fully express the extent of her symptoms, before he was ushered out - with a Bi-Polar Diagnosis and she needed to see HER patient.

We are going to send the Therapist an email with specifics on Daughters' increasing intensity of emotional episodes... .a copy of a letter daughter wrote ... .in hopes she will slow down her diagnosis and review the deeper details.

Any insight into this happening to others would be helpful.

[perkinswi]

My husband and 47 year old daughter went together to first appt. Being caucious about her outbursts, asked to have 10 minutes with therapist first. He did not have an opportunity to fully express the extent of her symptoms, before he was ushered out - with a Bi-Polar Diagnosis and she needed to see HER patient.

We are going to send the Therapist an email with specifics on Daughters' increasing intensity of emotional episodes... .a copy of a letter daughter wrote ... .in hopes she will slow down her diagnosis and review the deeper details.

Any insight into this happening to others would be helpful.

Our objective is to better understand the struggles our child faces and to learn the skills to improve our relationship and provide a supportive environment and also improve on our own emotional responses, attitudes and effectiveness as a family leaders

[lbjnltx]

It can be very frustrating to have an adult child/step child with BPD and have little to no input in the diagnostic process.

If your step daughter has signed the papers to allow communication and information exchanges between her therapist and her dad/you then it can be helpful.  If she has not signed the papers you can send the info to the therapist (t) and hope that she takes it into consideration... .or at least reads it though the t cannot respond.

Will attending therapy sessions together in the future be part of your stepd's treatment plan, if so that is the best case scenario (even if it isn't every time).  Being together in the same session will eventually demonstrate the dynamic of the relationship and give both of you/stepd/husband the same skills training and information to carry home, use, model for each other, and hold each other accountable for.

Do you know what kind of therapy she is attending?  CBT, DBT, Schema, etc... .?

Does your step d live with you and her dad?

lbj