Topic Tuesday// BPD Awareness– Flipping the script with a special guest from Spectrum// Tues 6th October,7 pm-8:30pm AEDT

[Schitzo]

Hi @Former-Member  and @JulianSpectrum , can't wait for tonights discussion to get under way 🌼💚

[JulianSpectrum]

@BPDSurvivor That's really interesting to hear. Your experiences are echoed in some of the research findings out there, that is the follow-up studies suggest that gains continue to be made after treatment finishes, a delayed effect if you like.

[BlueBay]

Do you need find a psychologist that uses MBT therapy, I don't think there are any around me. 
@JulianSpectrum @BPDSurvivor 

[Former-Member]

Hi there @sara74, welcome to our Topic Tuesday event  I

[JulianSpectrum]

@BlueBay Great question. It can be tricky to find practitioners sometimes, can't it? Some 'Find a Psychologist' search engines allow searching by those who practice a certain type of therapy, though sometimes MBT isn't an option to select.

You could contact the MBT Australia Association - they are aware of practitioners in Australia who have done the accredited training for MBT. With telehealth making things a lot more accessible for some people, it may not matter too much if they are not closely located to you.

[BlueBay]

Thanks @JulianSpectrum 

I'll look it up tomorrow. 

[Former-Member]

The public, health practitioners and our loved ones understanding of our mental health issues can vary depending on the information they read, their personal experience, their values and beliefs, and so much more.

A question I have got to everyone here tonight is - How do you explain to others about the challenges you face with your diagnosis?

For @JulianSpectrum @ –How can we best explain to others about BPD?  

[JulianSpectrum]

https://www.mbtaustraliaassociation.com.au/

[BPDSurvivor]

@BlueBay , the MBT component that has made the most change for me was the group therapy element. I don't think I would have made the gains without the group element. Trust me, even within small group therapy there were members I didn't click with....I think the feeling was mutual LOL.

So I'm not sure if it is beneficial to just have an MBT-trained therapist?? 

[JulianSpectrum]

@Former-Member 

There are all sorts of ways you can explain BPD to other people. Some people have found it useful to refer to the diagnostic criteria and find that this helps put words to their symptoms and legitimatise their struggles. Having said that, there are limitiations in using symptom lists. For example, some people don’t feel that they meet the ‘typical’ examples of BPD in the DSM or info sheets. Often this is because BPD can present quite differently from person to person as not everyone will have all the symptoms, or even the same combination of symptoms.

Understanding as much as you can about  your own difficulties and the context around them may help you to find a way to explain it to others that you are comfortable with.  For example, some people have found it useful to provide some context to others such as ‘As I’ve been hurt in previous relationships, I’m often on the look-out for signs that this may happen again as I don’t want to get hurt again. I also find it hard to express my feelings because of the way people have reacted to them in the past. I end up bottling up my feelings and, at a certain point, I can feel numb, or the feelings come rushing out all at once.’ This will not fit everyone’s experience, nor will everyone necessarily want to give this level of detail to others, but it’s an example of a less-psychiatric way of thinking about how some BPD symptoms may manifest.