Is BPD Easily Diagnosable?

[Halo]

I am just wondering whether BPD is easily diagnosable by a mental health professional or can it be sometimes misdiagnosed and treated as something else for a period of time before realizing it?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Actually, Borderline PD is often misdiagnosed as

• depression
• PTSD
• bipolar disorder

and vice versa (i.e., bipolar disorder and PTSD are often misdiagnosed as borderline personality disorder).

 

[Halo]

Are there any tests that can be done to determine if someone has depression, PTSD or Bipolar Disorder or whether it is infact Borderline PD?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Not really (or not accurately). Diagnosis is often more an art than a science - it's a matter of what's NOT there as well as what's there, and the trickiest part is differential diagnosis, i.e., ruling out other possible diagnoses.

That's why self-diagnosis or online diagnosis is so inadvisable and why (at least in Canada) only physicians and psychologists have the legal authority to diagnose.

 

[Halo]

So in essence a person could be diagnosed with depression for years and come to be disagnosed with BPD later and realize that the depression diagnoses was wrong.

What about the MMPI test, does that not show signs whether a person has BPD?

Would a trained professional be able to tell after working with someone for a while if they had been misdiagnosed?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

So in essence a person could be diagnosed with depression for years and come to be disagnosed with BPD later and realize that the depression diagnoses was wrong.

Yes, although the more likely misdiagnoses are PTSD or bipolar.

What about the MMPI test, does that not show signs whether a person has BPD?

No. No psychological test is really good at diagnosing borderline pd.

Would a trained professional be able to tell after working with someone for a while if they had been misdiagnosed?

Yes. At least, he or she should be able to tell.

 

[Halo]

Thanks David, all your responses are much appreciated

 

[David Baxter PhD]

You're welcome, H.