I think mental health care is a very new area and a very fluid area, therefore one can never be too attached to labels. (after all a new DSM is coming out in 2011) Nor can I assume that I can speak in absolutes when it comes to such a new, highly individualized, and fluid field. I work with people that have gone through some very horrific experiences, and (especially in knowing some of these people before the horrific experiences) their body chemistry (at the cell level) has litterly changed for the worse. Plus there is all sorts of enviromental factors that must be taken into account. Now do I hope that we change that? Of course I do. But I am very careful about
speaking in absolutes, because I just do not think it is appropriate at this point.
Could you have been misdiagonsied: yes
Could you have some form of BP: yes and no, because these are very broad catagories and were orginally used to discribe people who are not fit for military service for certain mental health issues and were very broad for that reason, so they really should not be held an any more importance than any other issue of unknown etiology, because we just do not know anything for sure. We throw a bunch of different treatments at it and hopefully find something that works for that person.
You asked some questions about BPII, the best way I have heard it described in layman's terms is a mental illness of being "too much." Which is extremely nonspecific, and that illistrates a huge part of the problem with the mental health care field.
But that being said, I think about the first person who had AIDS and how they must have felt when they had this disease of unknown etiology and very little could be done to treat their symtoms (just to associate it with a physical illness).
I personally think we need to stop focusing on the label and make sure we are working to get better.
While it is sometimes easier to fight an illness you can identify, it is not always the case, nor do you necessarily have to know exactly what it is you have in order to get better. (it usually just makes it easier)
I strongly encourage you to do whatever it takes to get yourself better.
Therapy, meds, voodoo witch doctors (just kidding!), just find what works for you and be prepared for trial and error process.
and let us not forget that just because one has a Dr. (whether it is M.D., PhD, or etc.) next to their name does not really mean a whole lot...especially if they refuse to acknowledge their limitations...