My daughter

[penny52]

Hi everybody it's been awhile since I've talked to you all, I still have custody the granddaughters who are 4 and 7. My daughter has gone in and got an assessment from a mental health clinic and they are saying that she is bipolar not really sure if this is the true diagnosis. She is a very intelligent person but she has every trait of BPD. I wish I could know for sure what is happening with her and tonight we talked on the phone and it didn't go very well I guess I'm still a little angry, so I'm just on here venting a little bit. It seems to me that that she is still playing the system in a way, sometimes I think it's just me not being understanding enough.

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

[livednlearned]

Hi penny52,

Glad you came back to say hello. 

How are the grandkids doing?

My SO's D19 is also diagnosed bipolar when she is clearly BPD. I get the impression that bipolar is much easier to label when the visits are so short. They cannot wade through the history of unstable relationships and identity disturbances and whatnot in a brief visit.

I also notice D19 is not stigmatized by her bipolar dx. She seems to be ok having a diagnosis that can be explained and treated with medication, as though it is no different than, say, diabetes. Whereas, I cannot imagine she would be so forthright if her dx was BPD, even though it would be a relief if we could all just agree these are the problems and shine some sunlight on the issues.

I can understand why you feel angry. Tiptoeing around the issues can build real resentment.