Misdiagnosis

Thank you

Please try and get your GP on board.  They can act as a gatekeeper to a range of services, and may be best place to advise which way to approach this - especially if you explain how this BPD is holding you back and potentially putting you in a position where you could receive incorrect treatment continually if it isn't amended.   Good luck. 

Thank you I'll look into getting it superceded. I'm getting really sad about it as it isn't me at all and it causes problems trying to access physical health help.

I understood what you meant.  I am fairly sure the CMHT have seen the diagnosis from 10 years back and not questioned it.   

The way to go - is to get that BPD diagnosis removed from your record by having it struck out as a misdiagnosis (unlikely) or having another psychiatrist supersede it.  

However - CMHT and secondary care teams don't take much note of Autism anyway - whether you have other diagnoses or not.  I can assure you of that.  

Sorry I don't think I explained. Yes over 10 years was the first diagnosis. I recently had an 'assessment' with a cmht psychiatrist as I was wanting to go back on medication. They have said bpd again and ignored my autism diagnosis.

Yes, sorry, I corrected the BPD from Bipolar but forgot I'd written it three times in the paragraph.

I'm a little concerned they may say that your BPD diagnosis was 10 years ago, and it is a little too late for it to be claimed as a misdiagnosis.  I think it may be more realistic to aim for a new diagnosis or a psychiatric evaluation to rule BPD out - but this is why I believe that getting the GP on board might be really helpful.  

Thank you for your reply. I only wanted the medication but I think I could manage without and I would rather not have it then deal with mh services.

Thank you. Just to clarify it's borderline personality disorder that they have diagnosed me with, not bipolar. But yes it is still a mh condition. Please can you tell me, what do you mean, concerned by the time gap?

Hon, I am so, so sorry this happened to you. It’s terrible, nobody deserves it. And while private practice may seem like a better answer, it also isn’t a perfect solution. I spent 12 years with a private childhood psychiatrist, during which I endured constant gaslighting, attempts to alienate me from my family, and multiple misdiagnoses that resulted in over a decade of improper medication administration. You are absolutely not alone. 
the most important thing is to use whatever power of medical choice you have available to get a doctor that’s right for you. Don’t just go with the one that seems right—go with the one that understands you best, has the best background, understands your identity and perspective, and how your experiences are shaped by your life. I know this isn’t always a feasible solution, but it’s the best chance you’ve got. Advocate for yourself, and use any and all support systems you have. Recruit different members of your medical team—if you have a good, GP, sometimes that can make a world of difference. Remember, you may be a statistic or a particularly interesting money bank in the eyes of a bad doctor, but you deserve a doctor that sees you as you are—a whole human being that deserves to thrive.

i hope things take a turn for the better. keep reaching out for support—we’re here for you.

BlueHawk said:

The problem is with mh services. 

I understand.

The problem you have (as you know) is that Mental Health treat BPD but don't treat Autism. 

That BPD diagnosis came first on your record, and was never rescinded.  I'm a little concerned about the time gap, but having a chat with your GP might produce a way that you could be re-evaluated given the confusion and subsequent diagnosis of Autism.

I can certainly see that a CMHT would treat someone with a BPD diagnosis totally differently to someone without one.  

I wish you good luck going forward.

You're most welcome! 

Thank you for all the information. I don't have the energy to go through pals at the moment. I will look into it when I have the energy.

Also I don't want to do any therapy through the nhs , especially if they can see my notes and irlf they aren't autism specific. I have someone who helps me with daily living things from an autism charity and we did an autism passport and emailed it to my gp. I don't know how it works with the computer system and what they see on their screen.

Thank you. I will look for the book.

Thank you. Yes it is very frustrating and an ongoing barrier.

I can't seem them saying it's a misdiagnosis  but I will raise it with them, thank you 

I have a friend who's child was diagnosed ADHD many years ago, then more recently autism (so has both)

Having both means a very different scenario, medication they tried would have made things worse. 

I've got a diagnosis for autism and they also told me they're convinced I have ADHD, but need to have it officially diagnosed separately if I ever wanted to seek treatment, I can say for certain I have some very different experiences than people with just one or the other. However am very similar to my friend's kid so it adds up.

Knowing now means they're better armed to deal with things properly, that's the main thing.

To be fair, they likely wouldn't have removed the BPD diagnosis from your record unless a specialist confirmed it was a misdiagnosis and this was added to your NHS record. If they did confirm it was a misdiagnosis, then I imagine you could just tell the service you're under now and ask them to find it in your medical record.

However, if a misdiagnosis wasn't confirmed by a specialist, you could raise this with your current provider to get it looked into. 

I'm sorry it must be frustrating! 

Hi and welcome to the community.

I'm sorry that you're feeling so upset.

As you disagree with the conclusion of your recent assessment, I'd suggest contacting PALS for advice. This link provides information about how they could help you, including in respect of making a complaint, if you wish to:

NHS - What is PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service)?

Regarding therapy, you may be able to access NHS therapy services via self-referral, without needing to go through your GP or a mental health team. In England, for example, you can access therapy for anxiety and depression related to various health conditions via the instructions here:

NHS - Talking Therapies

Whichever route you choose to follow for therapy, you might first find it helpful to borrow or buy this book, which includes discussion of various types of therapy and counselling, together with advice on choosing the right therapist or counsellor - all from an autistic person's viewpoint. Several of us here have found it very helpful:

The Autistic Survival Guide to Therapy

Finally, in respect of your autism diagnosis, you might like to follow the advice here to request a support plan (perhaps from your GP, in the first instance). This NAS resource includes advice, along with a template letter that you could use for this purpose:

NAS - Formal support following an autism diagnosis > What can I do if support is not provided?

That's one good thing.  

I'd still speak to the GP and explain that you feel that you may have been misdiagnosed with BPD when it was autism all along.

If you present at the surgery and say this, a record will have to be made of the conversation & request - and you can ask that the CMHT be informed.

Alternatively ask that the GP speak with secondary care on your behalf to attempt to straighten this out. 

Thank you. Yes it is on my gp record

The problem is with mh services. 

BlueHawk said:

They say I have BPD and I don't, I'm autistic. 

I see.

BPD can confuse an autism diagnosis.   Other things can too.   For example, PTSD can. 


You need to make sure that your Autism diagnosis (which you got privately) is actually on your NHS record, as it may not be there -  if it isn't, they may be treating you as if you don't have it. 

Please speak to your GP about this -  do you have the paperwork about your Autism diagnosis? - if so, take that to the GP with you.  

I can't see whether my reply has already posted. I'm new to the forum.

They say I have BPD and I don't, I'm autistic. 

I am interested to hear other people's similar experiences. I'm not after medical advice.