I don't know what moonlite's motives are.
My goal is to give Steve an opportunity to grow.
Steve:
You clearly know you're different than most people. You probably realize most people would be incapable of making the choices you have. Surely you credit your differentness for you success and joy in life. It's central to your identity and you seem quite proud of it.
Some of the things you do are radical: Striking out on your own (in software, then in self-help), raw foods, polyphasic sleep. Unusual as those things may be, they seem to be at worst disruptive, but not destructive. In fact, they've paid off enormously.
A therapist normally makes a diagnosis of their *patient* so that a form of treatment can begin. Someone, even a qualified professional, making a diagnosis over the internet is probably misguided because you don't need or want "treatment" for simply being yourself.
Like I said, I don't understand moonlite's motives, but this isn't the first time you've heard this about yourself, or you wouldn't have discovered RDD.
People are going to keep making this observation because your behavior *is* predictable and fits a certain profile.
For a moment, try not to run away from the label and think about it a little deeper. Forget about "Disorder". Call it an archetype. Consider the possibility that you are wired differently than those "normal" people. It's abhorrent to think that your uniqueness is actually a well-defined type, but you might learn something about yourself. You may recognize things about yourself that you weren't aware of before. You may discover something you don't like and be warned against it.
I stress that last point because sometimes features of your archetype become more pronounced as you get older. Perhaps there is something you would want to be conscious of. Maybe something to take advantage of, maybe something to avoid.
Maybe BPD is completely the wrong category for you. But maybe someone qualified can help you figure it out.
And maybe there is some truth there that you'd be otherwise avoiding. I don't doubt you have the courage to look at this head-on and learn something.
Steve's Fans:
We all love Steve, just the way he is. (okay, maybe recently not all of us) But he doesn't need to be defended from diagnosis bullies. He's a big boy and can handle himself.
I don't think there's any reason to attack RDD sufferers for making an observation.
So what if being Steve is partly mental, partly experience, but partly physiological. Let him figure it out.
On another note: Steve, if you ever go back to polyphasic sleep as a polyamorous person, you'll be a poly-poly.
It's a goal. The down side is your lovers will be annoyed with your inability to stay in bed.
Also, projection blah blah blah. Yes, I identify with you. That doesn't mean I might not have some insight. I don't want anything from you. Let the defenses down a minute, why don't you?