Actually I was told that I have several diagnosis, depression, anxiety, social phobia. Once it was also mentioned that I am borderline. But my T said, that after 3 years in therapy I have strong PTSD and anxiety because of that. I actually was relieved to know. But I am always major frustrated if I do not know what is wrong. If I know, than I can try to get better.

That is my opinion. However no diagnosis will change you for who u are right now. So don't be afraid and actually it is good to talk about it.

Good question TAS and very apposite, considering my T just yesterday gave me a letter outlining her more or less final conclusions about my dx/assessment.

I'm not sure yet whether it's going to help me or is just upsetting the hell out of me - I've never had a dx before and so have gotten used to the idea that people believe I'm just making stuff up - to the point where I find it difficult to take myself seriously most of the time. Actually being told (three times in the last three months shades of all the buses coming at once!) is a bit of a shock because it's effectively saying, there IS something wrong with you and this is what it is and hey I don't think I like having THAT wrong with me, couldn't I have something more glamorous or respected instead?

On the other hand, as Ninna says, there's got to be some comfort and relief in knowing more concretely what one's issues are so that it's easier and clearer what to do about them. If I actually accept this latest dx and stop running round in headless chicken circles trying to find some other reason for why I'm like I am, just accept where I'm at right now and accept it's crap (which ipso facto means I AM crap - no chance of pretending anymore I'm not like the dx describes) chances are I might actually be able to move forward. Well, that's the positive spin...

TAS it must be frustrating that your T will only talk to you and tell you things in person - I can understand the reasons, but at the same time it might be just a tad counterproductive to insist on ONLY talking in session. Do you have any idea what your dx might be? Has he indicated as such in any way? And do you actually want a dx, do you think it would be useful to know? I can understand why you'd be scared as to what it might be, which sort of says that you have some sense about it already.

I have to say that even though I'm none too happy with my latest dx, I do feel that it's open to change, P has said it's provisional and can and will be modified as we go along. So none of it is set in stone and none of it ought to define who you are (that's what I'm struggling with now, the fact that the official descriptions of the various DX's seem to refer only to external manifestation of the pathology, and not to the actual psychology or emotional set up of the individual themself.)

Oh lol yet another concise pithy post from LL

Edited to add: completely forgot to say WHAT the dx was It's avoidant personality disorder with emotionally unstable traits (the latter being why she thought I belonged in the borderline category). I plan on posting about this later also.

This is maybe a bit off topic, but I have almost the opposite problem with my T. We've talked around AvPD, attachment issues and love addiction etc; but she refuses to put a DX on what the problem actually is. She says she doesn't like to 'label' clients in that way!! And yet she will mention in passing that some of her clients have BPD!

It did make searching for more information on-line that bit more difficult as I had no definitive DX to work with.

quote:

And do you actually want a dx, do you think it would be useful to know

For me; a bit of both really. It would have been useful, but I'm happy with not having any formal written DX from my T.

TAS-- I would definitely want to know just for the sake of knowing what's on my insurance records if for nothing else. If you are paying with insurance, I believe the T has to give a diagnosis after a fixed number of sessions to "justify" continued treatment. Is your T refusing to tell you your diagnosis unless you have the conversation in the way he wants you to? I'm not sure they can with hold information like that-- I would think you have a right to know what's on your records. Possibly if you wanted an answer without having to jump through hoops for it you could get round your T by contacting your insurace directly and asking them what diagnosis had been submitted.

My T is not into labelling either and I've had a hard time getting her to tell me just what she thinks is wrong with me. She has said I have the symptoms and characteristics of a trauma survivor and she works with that in mind. The diagnosis she gave insurance is Adjustment Disorder, which she told me she uses a lot, as it's mild and relatively non-stigmatizing and covers a lot of things. I did have to ask about this, which I did early on in treatment. She didn't volunteer the information.

A couple months ago, though, she threw out that my diagnosis was Generalized Anxiety Disorder. We were talking about something else at the time so I just nodded. I wondered later if she had to give insurance a diagnosis other than Adjustment Disorder (which I believe is a situational thing) after the first year? Or if she was just giving her opinion and my insurance diagnosis hasn't changed. I need to ask about this sometime.

Anyway, to answer your question, knowing these things hasn't upset me. Really I was surprised I wasn't labelled with something a bit more severe seeming, especially at the beginning.