Teens and personality disorder assessment.
My child starts councelling in a fortnight, and I plan on asking about an assessment for a personality disorder. They have a list of diagnosis like adhd and so on.
I have bipolar and borderline, and my brother inlaw has bipolar, so it's on both family lines. My child who is in year 7, has been showing more and more concerning behaviours that I had at that age, but in this case, a little more extreme. Alot of their behaviour being labled as their ODD, I feel, could very well be borderline. They also have rapid mood swings that isn't normal. The school agrees with me that it's a good idea.
I was assessed as an adult so I have no idea how an assessment is done in a teen. Will it be like it was being assessed for adhd... for us, that was a counsellor started the assessment, on results of possibility I was then referred on.
7 Replies
Way too young. These diagnoses require observations or reporting of patterns over time.
I document everything, always have so I have accurate information for the pead. Letters from the school and drs when iv apoken to them. I understand diagnosis is rare in children going through puberty, but these behaviours are extreme, now involving weapons, Cleptomainia, rapid mood changes. Not basic ODD. The school has expressed their concern.
I document everything, always have so I have accurate information for the pead. Letters from the school and drs when iv apoken to them. I understand diagnosis is rare in children going through puberty, but these behaviours are extreme, now involving weapons, Cleptomainia, rapid mood changes. Not basic ODD. The school has expressed their concern.
I think at this age, they would look more at ODD becoming conduct disorder.
I think they would also look at her life and if there are environmental influences causing her to behave like this.
They always look at everything - from birth, pregnancy, developmental milestones, family medical history, relationships, parents, the lot.
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/borderline-personality-disor...
There isn't an actual gene for BPD.
The latest studies are saying people who get BPD need the following 2 things to happen:
You are susceptible through your genes from family
This susceptibility HAS to be triggered in very early childhood (abuse, chaos, stress etc).
BPDs are def made, not born.
I'm part of an online support group (you should check out quora, there's a lot of ppl with BPD) and every one of them has a tragic, chaotic childhood story, it's one of the hallmarks of the condition (mentally ill parents, alcoholics, abusive family members, druggies, fighting, screaming, parents in prison, parents narcissists etc.).
I think it's way too early to tell and I truly hope you're wrong.