Mental Illness and Self Identity

Since the book contest has been going on for a week (congrats winners!) I have not been blogging, but now my ideas are running amok so it's time to put down on paper what's swirling around my mind.

I have been getting a lot of questions about the new changes to the BPD diagnosis in the DSM5 coming out in May 2013, which was just finalized this weekend.  The new diagnostic criteria for BPD in my opinion is vague and covers too many people.   But what if looking at the current criteria, and after years of therapy, DBT, CBT, therapy, heck even EMDR therapy you now meet 1 or 2 of the criteria when 5 or more criteria equals a Borderline Personality Diagnosis?  Well, first off you no longer have a BPD diagnosis (per the DSM IV-r) but does this make you "cured?"

"Recovery may seem like an illusory concept. We still know very little about what this process is like for people with severe mental illness. Yet many recent intervention studies have in fact measured elements of recovery, even though the recovery process went unmentioned. Recovery is a multidimensional concept: there is no single measure of recovery, but many different measures that estimate various aspects of it. The recovery vision expands our concept of service outcome to include such dimensions as self-esteem, adjustment to disability, empowerment, and self-determination. However, it is the concept of recovery, and not the many ways to measure it, that ties the various components of the field into a single vision. For service providers, recovery from mental illness is a vision commensurate with researchers’ vision of curing and preventing mental illness. Recovery is a simple yet powerful vision  (Anthony, 1991.)"

I have worked with many people whom were diagnosed with a mental illness, and though therapy, groups and sometimes medications, were doing better; holding down jobs, attending college, making friends and felt like they were lost for a while, "I have been Bipolar for so long who am I now?"  I think this mindset can be especially true for some with BPD, since the therapy is so intensive and the community is so tight-knit.

Take for instance a client I worked with whom had Bipolar disorder with psychotic symptoms; he had been attending NAMI groups for years, most of his friends were from the mental health clinic I worked at, his calendar was filled with Bipolar workshops, meetings, and events he had been attending for years.  After years of therapy and medication he was still attending these events and at some point I told him he was the poster child for "Bipolar Success."  He was confused by this term "success," he asked, "am I cured?"  I opened the DSM IV-r and read through the criteria for his current diagnosis- he meet 2, when 5 was needed.  After I assured him that he was not going to be dropped from services due to this (oh, insurance woes,) we spoke about if he should continue to spend 20 hours a week surrounded by those with a mental illness he no longer has? Should he drop all his friends? Was it appropriate to discuss at NAMI meetings issues surrounding a mental illness he no longer has? Should he tell people?

After a 50 minute session and a follow up phone call (he was "freaking out!") we decided his plan of action; it is okay to continue the relationships he has created, he can be a role model for others regarding what recovery looks like; attending NAMI meetings-okay BUT new doors are now open he didn't think were when he was diagnosed before; college classes, a healthy relationship (he was too embarrassed prior to have one,) and  full-time employment over collecting disability.  He was (understandably) so attached to his identity that he didn't know who he was without it.

I understand this isn't the case for all people with Mental Illness, as some hide their mental illness from others, are not properly diagnosed and some even avoid the reality of their illness.

Here is a great list of people's stories regarding their mental illness recovery Connections: Stories of Recovery from Mental Illness:

"Today, LeRoy doesn't see any doctor for therapy. He sees his doctor simply to refill his prescription when needed. His treated Delusional Schizophrenia affects him as much as treated diabetes or high blood pressure would. He takes responsibility for it, and life goes on.  "I take my pill at bedtime. I haven't really had any side effects," he says.  But perhaps there has been a side effect his job. As a survivor of a mental illness, LeRoy realized he now has a responsibility not only for his own recovery, but for the healing of others. So he's made a career of it. LeRoy helps other people with mental illnesses, called clients, as they walk their own road to recovery.  He says he may be making less money than he set out to earn, but he's helping more people than he ever thought he could.   In addition to mentoring and supporting people with mental illnesses, LeRoy tries to teach the public about mental health issues. He speaks to churches, schools, and practically any group or individual who wants to hear about the bravery of those who battle mental illness.  It's easy for LeRoy to talk about bravery, because it's bravery that helps him accept himself, accept his diagnosis, and go forward.  "You can't deal with your mental illness until you can agree with yourself that, 'Hey, I have a mental illness so I need to be responsible and take care of it.' "  He's brave. He's responsible. He's taken care of it. LeRoy Simmons is a survivor, (pg. 13.)"

 I would love feedback from anyone who no longer meets the criteria for BPD regarding how they got recovery and how (if at all) their identify was wrapped up in their diagnosis.