Hi, I have learned a lot more about BPD in the past few years, and I exhibit nearly all of the DSM-5 criteria for it, so I wanted to get a psychiatric evaluation. Unfortunately, though, I have no idea the steps to take to getting a diagnosis/getting help. My parents don’t believe that mental illness is a serious problem, so they won’t help me to research steps to take to get the diagnosis. I am still mostly financially dependent on them, but I feel if I was able to plan it out myself and received a diagnosis they would take my concerns more seriously and I could get good help. I am scared to talk about my concerns to any close friends or family because I don’t want to burden them or be unintentionally manipulative, so I can’t ask them for advice on where to go/what doctor to see. I just don’t know what to do and am feeling a bit helpless in terms of emptiness and emotion regulation lately. How do I get evaluated to potentially get a diagnosis (or at least work towards one for whatever I’ve got going on if this ends up not being what I am dealing with)? Can anyone share (if you’re comfortable) what types of doctors you have to visit, if you need a referral, and if you can just go to a normal psychiatrist or if you need to find a person who specializes in BPD (etc.)? I am trying to figure out how I am going to do this.