First timer on the board

[mileenie]

Hello,

My almost 16 yo daughter has had 3 hospitalizations in the past 10 months and has been diagnosed with BPD. I know the whole idea of not wanting to diagnose until over 18, but frankly, it helps my husband and I to have a clear cut dx so that we can wrap our heads around it and try to help her.

She is our oldest, we have a 13 yo daughter and a 6 yo son.

Our beautiful, funny, smart BPD daughter is argumentative, an attention seeker (DH and I think she is histrionic), is inappropriate with social media and has been obsessed with it (she no longer has access right now), she is untruthful, she is disrespectful, she is impulsive, and obsessive over possible significant others. She identifies as bisexual- which DH and I are comfortable with, as long as that is truly how she feels, and she isn't saying it for shock value, or as a 'savior' type thing, because the only 2 girls she has had a thing for, are girls she met at different times  of her inpatient stay, and she felt a kinship to them, and felt that they were her saviors, and the only people who understand her.

Meds we have tried: Prozac, Seroquel, pristiq.

She is now on lithium and abilify for about 2 weeks, and I am concerned with her reaction. She is irritable, edgy, mopey.

Right now she is in a partial program and I have 2 calls in to the psychiatrist since Friday to discuss meds.

She is having trouble sleeping at night, too and I am nervous to have her waling around in the night while we are asleep.

Our daughter was also diagnosed with ADHD 6 years ago and takes Vyvanse for that.

Lastly,  we have been in DBT since November- group and individual.

This is so difficult to deal with.

Any words of advice would be greatly appreciated.

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]

Hello mileenie,

We are so glad you are here with us!  Welcome.

I'm sorry to hear that your d has BPD, and you are so right about receiving a diagnoses ASAP to help get some direction and understanding that only a diagnoses can help give.  My d was diagnosed with "Emerging BPD" at age 12.

What was the catalyst for her going inpatient the last 10 months?

It's great that your d16 has access to DBT program.  Do you see it being affective in any way yet?

It sounds like you are doing all you can to get her the help she needs.  How about you?  What can we do to help you learn and cope with her disorder?  How is all this affecting you mileenie?

I look forward to learning more about your daughter and family and helping where I can.

lbjnltx

[busymind79]

Welcome Mileenie,

Your daughter sounds very similar to mine. She remains undiagnosed as our psych will not until 18. We have been told instead that she exhibits BPD tendencies and has a mood disorder unspecified diagnosis.

We, too, have been through multiple hospitalizations including one 5 week stay in a DBT RTC. Our daughter is still highly unstable and may need another RTC.

I think the biggest adjustment for me is learning not to argue with her. It is extremely difficult, but I am learning that saying what I expect and walking away may not always lead to immediate results, but there isn't a chance for the situation to escalate.

I haven't had much time to research lately as it seems I am always putting out one fire or another, but there are many great articles on this sight that can give you a glimpse into your daughters thought process.