Ask the Therapist
Is BPD Considered Severe?
I was diagnosed with BPD in 1989 and have worked my butt off to be healthy. I was terminated as a psych client in 1996 when my therapist felt I was okay.
Recently I have been asked about my mental health history and aren't sure whether I am obligated to tell them, but also if BPD is in the DSM IV might that be interpreted by some that I am or was crazy at some point?
Is BPD considered severe?
I obviously don't know the state labor laws where you are located, but I will say that medical records, history, etc. as a rule are a confidential matter unless they directly effect your ability to do a job, engage in some function or present a danger to yourself or others. This is an ethical question, not a legal one. You are not obligated to disclose anything to anyone about your personal life unless you are under order from a court and, even then, there's wiggle room.
BPD is a psycho-social disorder -- meaning it's a learned behavior. Although it is personality disorder, it is not organic (like say bi-polar or schizophrenia). If your therapist release you from treatment, then s/he felt that you had developed the ability to transcend your past behavioral choices and operate effectively in a social environment. In English...you're healed or, at the very least, on your way. Organic disorders like those I mentioned do not heal, they can be mitigated. Psycho-social disorders heal eventually.
So, although BPD is considered a serious condition, it is transitory. It passes. The choice, ultimately, is yours. The question for you is which choice will let you sleep at night.
PS -- if this is about a job and you already hold the job, any change in your job or job function as a consequence of your disclosure (should you disclose and remember -- document, document, document -- keep a record of everything) will mean a lawsuit. You are protected under the EOE act and the ADA...that's all the fine print at the bottom of your contract or job app.!
