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Recognising yourself in an article about borderline personality disorder can be unsettling. Here is how to take those questions forward without labelling yourself.

Late-night reading about mental health can be a mixed experience. You come across an article on borderline personality disorder, recognise several descriptions and suddenly wonder whether it applies to you.

Recognition is not a diagnosis

Seeing parts of yourself in a description does not mean you have the condition. Intense emotions, turbulent relationships and a strong fear of being rejected can arise for many different reasons, including stress, past experiences and other health conditions. Only a proper assessment by a qualified mental health professional can clarify what is going on.

Turning the article into useful notes

If the article struck a chord, try writing down specific examples: situations where you felt overwhelmed, how you reacted and how those moments affected your work, relationships or wellbeing. Concrete examples are more useful than a list of ticked boxes.

Taking your notes to a session

Besides her acupuncture work, Dr Christine Shen, Acupuncturist, has qualifications in psychotherapy. You can share your notes with her and ask if a specialised mental health assessment, for example through your GP or a psychiatrist, would be worthwhile. The aim is to find appropriate support and understanding, not to define who you are from a checklist or decide that one label accounts for every struggle.

Keeping the work focused on you

Therapy should leave room for your priorities. You might want to understand certain reactions better or find different ways of responding. Talk about what progress would look like for you. It is also reasonable to ask Christine when you will look back over the sessions together, and where else you could turn if things become harder before the next visit.

Support in Freshwater

Psychotherapy is available at the Freshwater clinic for people throughout the Northern Beaches. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, contact emergency services or a crisis line immediately rather than waiting for an appointment. Reading an article, this one included, can never take the place of a professional mental health assessment.