You don’t have to be 18 to get diagnosed

I am so tired of people who are saying that you have to be 18 to be diagnosed with BPD. I was diagnosed at the age of 15 years old. If an individual has enough trauma, then yes, they can be diagnosed at a young age. I was in the foster care system as a baby, was adopted at 4 and when I was diagnosed, they asked me if my parents ever abandoned me… I said I was in the foster care system when I was a baby and later adopted and they said that was the cause of my BPD. BPD is a very complex disorder and I wouldn’t wish it on ANYBODY, not even my worst enemy. When y’all say things like that, I feel invalidated, because I was a teen when I got my diagnosis.

If you are under the age of 15, I would talk to a therapist or psychiatrist about your concerns. Let them explain things to you. Let them explain why they can’t diagnose you or why they don’t think you have it. BPD symptoms overlap with a lot of other mental health disorders, but please don’t let people invalidate you on the internet. Do your research, ask questions, but if you’re not diagnosed, my only suggestion is to not say you’re self diagnosed. The only reason I say that is because it could be something else, like bipolar or ADHD or something.