Lived Experience Forum

[Ocean2]

Hello.

I've just joined so I'm a bit nervous about writing stuff about myself but want to be able to connect with people who understand. 

I have GAD (can get depression too) and OCD and currently my therapist thinks i have BPD (or quiet traits of it).

I feel really overwhelmed by having labels put on me and I'd never even heard of BPD! currently i also think my hormones are playing a role with my mental health issues as im severely anxious around that time and have panic attacks every day ( due to see a gynecologist as well).

So i guess im wondering if anyone else here can relate to what I've said so far?

Thanks 

[Paperdaisy]

hey @Ocean2 welcome to the forums. I can understand feeling nervous, I felt that too but this is a really supportive environment. Thank you for sharing with us. I can totally relate to hormonal anxiety.. I personally can be quite impacted by hormonal changes. Some days are easier than others but I try to take a holistic approach to health and mental health. It's about getting the right balance of a lot of things for me.. and listening to my body and resting more when I need to rest more etc. Glad to hear you are getting some support in that area. 

Can completely understand feeling overwhelmed about having labels, but it can also help us to understand things better and can validate a feeling we've had and not been able to make sense of. I will tag @BPDSurvivor who may be able to offer more support in this area. 

[Jynx]

@Ocean2 Hi, welcome to the forums. Glad to have you on board 😊

Sounds like you have a lot going on - getting new diagnoses can definitely be a time of confusion and change. 

I can totally understand what you mean about not liking being labelled. The way I try to frame it for myself is that labels are just a tool to guide treatment, and we don't need to be defined by them. You can always have a look at our Fact Sheets & Guides if you want to learn more about various diagnoses. 

You could also explore PMDD? It's related to menstrual cycles, might be something to ask your treating team about.

Hope you find what you're looking for here, and feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions! 

[daze]

This is my first ever message on here too 🙂 I have GAD, SAD and panic disorder and moderate depression, so we’re pretty similar! I keep deleting things and replacing them in this message as I’m not sure what to say haha.

@Ocean2

[Eve7]

Hello @Ocean2 and welcome to the forums. There are lots of friendly people here willing to share their lived experience.

I know it’s late so I’ll say good night and hope to catch up soon 💙

@daze a big welcome to you also. See you around the forums 💚

[NatureLover]

Hi and welcome, @Ocean2  , it's good to have you here.
 
I also have GAD, depression and OCD. What form does your OCD take? Mine is germophobia. 

You can type any topic (like OCD) into the Search bar above for threads on that topic. 
 
A handy forum tip is if you type @ and then click on a name in the drop-down box, that person will get a notification and won't miss your reply.
 
I hope you find the forums supportive...

[hanami]

Hi @Ocean2 

Welcome to the forums! I imagine it's tough to find out your diagnosis, especially something you've never heard of.

I can definitely relate to the feeling that hormones affect my mental health. I've always been sensitive to that. In the last 5 years or so I hit perimenopause and before I started hormone therapy my anxiety levels were the worst they've ever been. I thought this might be interesting for you to have a read of. There some really interesting stuff about how oestrogen affects your mental health.

https://www.balance-menopause.com/menopause-library/mental-illness-and-the-role-of-estradiol-with-ps... 

Take care and I look forward to seeing you around.

Hanami

[Ocean2]

Hi @hanami .

Thanks for the msg. 

Yes i definitely think my hormones are involved. I'll be 44 soon and my anxiety/panic has been so bad the last 2 years. Can i ask how old you are and wen you hit perimenopause? I have an appt next week with a gyno so I'm hoping they can help.

Cheers!

[hanami]

Hi @Ocean2 

I'm 53 now but was about your age when my symptoms really kicked off! I joined a perimenopause Facebook group which gave me heaps of info. Good luck at the gyno, I hope you get some answers.

❤️

[Ocean2]

@hanami 

Thanks. So HRT helped with your mental health?

Can i ask what facebook group was helpful?

Cheers