'THEY'

My visit with our local doctor went well - he was informative and empathetic and the exchange gave me a glimpse into the medical community's perspective regarding mood versus personality disorders. Don't know when they decided that a large chunk of their clientel should be shifted from Bipolar over to Borderline but I have a few hunches as to why.
(big surprise - I'm renowned for my theories, certainly amongst my closest circle)

They view those persistent, troublesome behaviours as 'impulse' issues; if They haven't been able to successfully manage or eradicate these problems over the course of a few years, it seems They will define the whole shit-storm as being ingrained in the personality.
Here's where I have a problem with that:
*those impulses aren't exactly something that a neurotypical person has to contend with so the clients are battling a myriad of weird shit that shouldn't be there to begin with.
Maybe the shrinks have factored that into their current view...I'll have to see.
*as for defining long term mood problems and behaviours as more of an innate personality deal, I s'pect that it's a case of 'if we haven't been able to solve this to our satisfaction you're just not trying hard enough'.
That was the situation just a couple of decades ago with ulcers (the husband and all his siblings endured that one) when the illness was blamed mainly on stress until an Australian researcher proved it was due to the proliferation of helicobactor pylori...
D'oh!
(I love that he did it in such an Australian way - cooked up a batch, drank it down, then set about figuring the best way to eliminate it)
So - what now?
TwinB will trot off to the Borderline Personality Disorder specialist and we'll see what shakes outta' that.

They is an image that TwinB put together following her stint in solitary confinement on the psych ward when she was 14. A previous occupant had somehow managed to scratch that word (in 2 or 3" high letters) into the enamel paint on the steel door.
when I find it I'll post it.