Q. How do I find out if I'm borderline? I ask this as I've always been afraid to ask my doctor or therapists in case they think I'm just a hypochondriac or something. I am currently on Effexor XL but still my symptoms are still there. I am always depressed, have bulimia, mood swings, fly into rages & fits of tears really easily for stupid reasons. I hate being on my own but get really bored with people & always feel they let me down (the exception being my boyfriend). I injure myself by cutting, biting & hitting myself or banging my head off the wall. All this has really affected my relationship with my parents so at the least I'd like to know what is wrong with me as despite seeing a psychiatrist for 2 years I never got a diagnosis of anything at all.

A. Ask your doctor if you have BPD. It is important since you will need to be on higher dosages of Effexor than for depression if you want to get better. The diagnosis is only important if it helps lead to accurate treatment. Saying you are panicky will not help with your treatment, because the treatment for it is different from your BPD. Ask your doctor, and they should review the diagnosis with you.