Mood vs Personality Disorder

[Guest]

Can anyone define the difference between Mood Disorder and Personality Disorder? I went to the Mood Disorders Clinic of CAMH in Toronto and at the bottom of the 2-page letter that was sent to my family doctor about me and my visit, it recommends that I have another appointment in their Personality Disorders Clinic. Anyone? Bueller?

[paul m]

Hello MerelyMe08. Perhaps this one has been answered for you already. It is too complex to give a full definition in this forum, but I will try and simplify it a bit. However, pls remember these are not my opinions, but DSM-IV-TR definitions.(The book shrinks use to decide whats wrong with us)

Mood disorders are narrowly defined as some form of depression or bipolar.

Personality disorders deal more with a persons life long perception of things and do not swing up or down like mood disorders. Examples would be anti-social personality disorder and borderline personality disorder.

Anxiety disorders also are seperate(in DSM). Examples include panic disorder with agoraphobia(fear of going outside) and Generalized anxiety disorder.

All of these are just names and labels. The important thing is to find out how to treat the part that is bothering us. Unfortunately too many docs just say" your bipolar here's some pills" In reality I may be bipolar, have a borderline personality disorder, attention deficit problems and a Generalized panic disorder.

Treating my bipolar will not help me much. I have over simplified this. Wikipedia has some easy to read articles on all of the above. Take Care. paul m

[Woody]

What kind of clinic was it? Was it a group information only kind of clinic or was it a one on one scenario?

[Guest]

I will say something to both Paul and Woody - Paul, thank you for your info - had no idea of that book used to define problems - but I don't like Wikipedia because it's just based on opinion and I prefer backed-up facts from a source that is reliable and recognized.
Woody, the CAMH is Centre for Addictions and Mental Health. It was a one-on-one with a shrink to try to determine my life-long affliction. Like you say, Paul, it might be a combination of things, but I think Pdocs try to medicate the worst of the bunch of behaviours and symptoms a patient exhibits. I always thought my condition was made oh so much worse by my PMS, on top of everything else. It caused real peaks in my wrangs when I was in that zone. But, I believe it was also because of the nastiness of my background, too. I was treated that way, from ever since I can remember, and we only do what we know, right? I just wish I had people around to ask about my parents' stuff, but I don't, so when there's no medical history, you're on your own trying to get to the bottom of it. sigh....

[AJ]

I know very little about medical history for my family members. I don't no anything about family medical history on my birth mothers side. They always ask, I just say I don't know, or tick off I don't know when you get one of those forms to fill out. I'd like to know, but I guess we can only work with what we do know. I ask myself if it would make any difference in the way I deal with my illness, or in the treatment of it, and I suspect that it probably wouldn't. When they take a history and I tell them I have a twin, they get all excited about it, until I tell them we're not identical. It's kind of funny actually.

PMS= pre-monstral

[paul m]

Hello MerelyMe08. I agree that wikipedia is not the most stable source. I use it for preliminary info and then go from there.

What they are excellent at is provided links to reliable sources. For example the wikipedia's page on bipolar contains direct links to the mayo clinic's section on bipolar. They also have a direct link(all near bottom of page) to National institute of mental health (U.S.)

I agree with you in that I would not to rely on wikipedia's info only.

In regards to relatives, I was reasonably stable before anyone ever told me that there was a long history of bipolar in my family. No one within a generation had a bad case like mine so it was easy to hide. But I agree with you, it would have easier if someone had told me 25 yrs earlier.I might have been diagnosed a little sooner. Take Care paul m

[Woody]

Here is a link for the DSM IV - TR
I recommend having some Tylenol extra strength on hand before clicking on the link

It could not hurt going. If anything you will walk away knowing that much more about yourself.

[bluebandaid]

doctors

I am trying to get into a mental health team. I was told that they thought I might have a pesonality disorder rather than a mood disorder. Now, after thinking about it for a while I know why.

1) this was before they had ever met with me.

2) I told them that I had had 2 bad psychiatrists. The first was so bad that I had to report him to the official body that governs doctors in my area.

Have you ever seen a doctor respond rationally when told another doctor wasn't good? I haven't, they lose all objectivity. They'll tell you that your mom sucked in 5 seconds flat, but they'll defend another doctor till the ends of the earth.

I am so furious with the lack of fast referals and what seems to me to be the utter lack of quality psychiatrists, and are they all 60+ years old?

I try to refer myself and I get this under-handed comment about maybe you don`t have a mood disorder. (again: this was before one meeting with this intake worker)

I am so frustrated. I think the only way to get a good psychiatrist is to go stark raving mad into an ER. Then maybe I`ll find a decent doctor.


AAARGH!!

[Woody]

Things are only going to get worse. They are no where near training enough new doctors as it is just to keep up with the demand today. What are they going to do when all does ageing doctors start to retire? I know my Pdoc is no spring chicken and every time he picks up his magnifying glass to read a something, it makes me wonder how long do I have.

Have you though about getting a psychiatric assessment? If I am not mistaken, you do not necessarily need to be seeing a Pdoc to get one.

[edmbigrl]

My employer is paying for me to go for a psychiatric assessment. It's worth looking into.

Going into the ER won't necessarily help. I've done it twice in the past couple months. Both time I waited over 6 hours to see a psychiatrist. They interviewed me. The first time they told me what I was going through was understandable since there was so much change going on in my life. The second time the psychiatrist gave me a prescription for meds to help me sleep - since I hadn't slept well in over a week.

And yes medical professionals cover each other's asses. I used to work for a lawyer and he had some strong cases against medical professionals. He always said they were the hardest cases.

[bluebandaid]

frustration

wow I just wrote a big paragraph and some button I pressed erased it all!

OK: try #2

I got a psych assesment from a very reputable mood-disorders clinic and hopefully when he gets around to reading it, he will believe me.

My last pdoc (the one I am trying to get away from) was authoritative, almost mean. She over prescribed. She routinely answers her phone in the middle of a session (reallY). And yet when I called her in real need, as she had told me to, I left a message, crying. She called me back 3 days later.

Thanks for the intel about ER's - I was starting to think that it was the fact that I had semi-held it together all these years was my problem.

To expect people who are at their weakest, lowest, most vulnerable points to negotiate this maze is unethical.

The waitlists, the lack of knowledge by the regular md's, the beurocracy, the suspicion, the whole thing has brought me nearly to my knees. I feel powerless. It is only by my sig. other and the support of this site that I push on. It makes me feel more crazy to feel like I'm fighting for my life, for my sanity, for my own happiness, and the sytem and people who are supposed to help me are causing me such frustration. Changing my meds. etc. Can it really be that this is what is on offer?

There are times I`ve thought I`d be better off without any of their advice, or thir meds. At least then I could rise and fall on my own strenght instead of this mishmash of withdrawal effect, side effects and the frustration caused by trying to negotiate the system.

I will push on. Despite it all.

They seem more crazy than me though.

(btw, edmbigrl: My company is so small that I have to keep the whole thing as private as possible - reputation, stigma etc. so I manage the best I can - I have no benefits anyway)

[AJ]

'They seem more crazy than me though.' At least we know we are.

I like your photo album Bluebandaid.

[bluebandaid]

thanks

thanks AJ!

[Woody]

Bluebandaid, I got a CSW(community support worker) at the CMHA and she did a bang up job advocating and getting me into programs. It might be worth your while to talk to them.

[edmbigrl]

I've also had great success with CMHA in Winnipeg. I had a support worker after two episodes. I worked with one of the workers for nearly 3 years. She was so accommodating. I'd meet her after 4:30 so that I didn't have to miss work.

However, here in Alberta I called CMHA main office and was told that they only do day programs.