{BONUS} Beth Rees: finding an explanation, questioning my BPD diagnosis, and learning from the autistic community

This special Squarepeg miniseries celebrates the great things that start to happen in our lives when we discover in adulthood that we’re autistic. Seven of my previous guests have returned to each share the three most important things that have changed for the better in their lives since they were diagnosed, or realised they were autistic. My guest today is Beth Rees, a mental health blogger from Caerphilly in South Wales.  I first talked with Beth in Series 2, Episode 9 about her Borderline Personality Disorder diagnosis and imposter syndrome around self diagnosis. In this bonus recording Beth talks to me about finally finding an explanation for behaviours that had always been seen as negative, feeling able to question her original diagnosis of BPD, and being able to learn more about herself from the autistic community. I hope you’ll enjoy hearing from Beth as much as I did. Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes. I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences. I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.   EPISODE LINKS: Information about BPD from Mind UK: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/borderline-personality-disorder-bpd/about-bpd/  Mind UK - what to do if you suspect your diagnosis is wrong: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/personality-disorders/why-is-it-controversial/#CouldMyDiagnosisBeWrong    Beth’s blog: www.justasquarepeg.com   Her Instagram: https://instagram.com/justasquarepegblog Facebook page: https://facebook.com/justasquarepeg Twitter: https://twitter.com/justasquarepeg   If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on: Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/ Twitter:  https://twitter.com/squarepegautism  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/  Or on my website:  https://squarepeg.community/    THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS! A HUGE thank you to my amazing patrons, who support my work on the podcast: Corinne Cariad, Katharine Richards, Lea Li, Lilli Simmons, Sarah Hardy If you’re enjoying the Squarepeg podcast and would like to help me carry on making new episodes, you can become a member of the Squarepeg community on Patreon from £3 per month: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast