DZ survivors - a fear of abandonment

Experts (who do not know about womb twin survivors) have given a name to the complex of psychological effects that characterise womb twin survivors, the name is "Borderline personality disorder" and the commonest effect is a fear of abandonment.  (See full description here)

(It surely does not have to be said here, that this group of psychological effects if not a "disorder" of any kind but a perfectly normal response to a rather unusual pre-birth situation - the lost of a twin before birth. )

Womb twin survivors misdiagnosed: (5) "Borderline " personality disorder

If ever there was a random, catch-all term to "diagnose" patients with a bunch of wide-raning self-defeating behaviours and attitudes, this is it.


The term "Borderline personality disorder" is so wide it is almost meaningless:

• Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment
• A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation
• Identity disturbance, such as a significant and persistent unstable self-image or sense of self
• Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating)
• Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behavior
• Emotional instability due to significant reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days)
• Chronic feelings of emptiness
• Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights)
• Transient, stress-related paranoid thoughts or severe dissociative symptoms

People who live with some of these symptoms ruminate endlessly on "what is wrong with me?"  This form is a good example: Paranoid, Schizoid, & Schizotypal  They desperately fling psychiatric terms about, trying to find one that will stick and make sense of their lives.  But the statements on my questionnaire,  which are real statements made by real womb twin survivors, reflect this list of " symptoms " perfectly.


How about this? People who have the symptoms of Borderline personality disorder are womb twin survivors and that's all there is to it.  If that is your diagnosis, take heart.  This is what you can do now.   Just to make sure this is not a hasty decision, stay sceptical -  because it's not good to be impulsive with these important personal issues.

• Read this blog (there are only 350 posts!) 
• Maybe some others blogs too
• Browse the womb twin books
• Read the whole womb twin research web site
• Join the womb twin forum. 
• Come to a womb twin workshop
• Come to a womb twin event
• Contact me for an email  or skype conversation
• Check out the list of physical indications
• Read the questionnaire statements carefully.

When you have done all that carefully, if none of it seems to resonate with you,  then I wish you well in your search for  answers.  If this does seem to make sense, then perhaps after all you are a womb twin survivor!   In that case, this is the day to start the healing path, which will lead you gently into a new way of life!

Because the misdiagnosis of mental illness has a life-changing effect on the unfortunate patient ( as many womb twin survivors know to their own personal cost, see article here) doctors would like to find a physical  marker they can depend on. The Japanese have been working on a more reliable way to diagnose mental illness using near infra-red on the brain, according to the latest edition of Nature:

Quote:  Incorrect diagnosis of people with psychiatric disorders has far-reaching implications. Miss the manic phases of people with bipolar disorder, for instance, and, rather than the mood-stabilizers they need, they might be given antidepressants. The drugs could make them 'hypomanic' — a state in which they might spend money recklessly, invest irrationally and jabber incessantly so that friends and employers no longer want them around — and tip them into even more extreme bipolar cycles. Meanwhile, if the hallucinations of a person with schizophrenia don't become apparent during analysis, the patient may likewise be diagnosed as depressed, be given antidepressants and go on to become even more withdrawn. Unfortunately, misdiagnosis happens all too often — in around 70% of cases of bipolar disorder, according to some estimates. And such mistakes often go uncorrected for years.  more...

The misdiagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder has already been mentioned on this blog and is a matter of deep concern to me.  The so called "symptoms" of Borderline Personality Disorder are no more and no less than the ordinary, normal, psychological, emotional and existential response of a womb twin survivor who has not yet healed from their loss.

You can read my latest article  here.  No journal would publish it, as it's far too controversial.

When this book is out, it will make people think again. I hope.

(Onward...still correcting the first proofs of the book. Chapter 9 coming up....)