I believe that I have MPD, but my doctor diagnosed it as depression and anxiety. How?

Question

Hi doctor,

I believe that I have symptoms of MPD. Some are from my past and some are present. For examples, I see things in black and white, low self-esteem, feeling evil, substance abuse (weed and alcohol), feeling empty, not sure how to react to emotional or social situations and unhealthy relationships. I have never tried to harm or kill myself, but I put myself in risk or high endurance situations, depression, anxiety. I was binged and purged between ages 13 and 20. I have controlling impulses such as pulling out hair, over picking skin and masturbation. All that started back between the ages of 5 and 11. I also believe it could have something to do with genetics or upbringing because my mother and grandmother show these signs as well. I visited a psychologist for the first time last year and he diagnosed me with depression and severe social anxiety. I did not get In detail about my past or present problems other than hair pulling and anxiety. He asked me about my history with drugs. At first, I did not mind, but then I started to get embarrassed and had a panic attack. Then, he made his diagnosis. I stopped treatment after a couple of months. I find it is often hard for me to follow through with plans, but I would like to try moving forward again.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand your concern. Some of the symptoms you have mentioned suggest depression and anxiety. Low self-esteem, feeling low, etc., are classical depression symptoms. Hair pulling is one of the anxiety symptoms. Under unconscious anxiety, individuals develop a habit of pulling hair. You have never developed an idea of self-harm, but there is a practice of putting into a risky situation. This could be a feature of bipolar but should be evaluated. History of abuse of weed also increases such risk-taking behavior. If your day-to-day functioning is impaired, then I would advise you to please get yourself evaluated by a psychiatrist. A proper evaluation will help in making a diagnosis. Mood stabilisers can be used for treatment and will treat the symptoms. Avoid using weed because this might cause the development of acute psychotic symptoms. Thank you.