11 ms·

> hope of pain relief is just about the most powerful psychological force I was diagnosed with BPD about 10 years ago, and I think I'm mostly "cured". Two ke

by raducu 4y ago

> hope of pain relief is just about the most powerful psychological force I was diagnosed with BPD about 10 years ago, and I think I'm mostly "cured". Two key turning points for me were: 1) drugs -- a great realization that the way you feel can be changed and to some degree you CAN be in fact in control by taking certain drugs. I absolutely do not encourage people to take drugs -- it just worked in my case (perhaps precisely because I was systematic in rotating drug types as to avoid getting dependent/tolerant) 2) therapy in general, but Schema Therapy's conclusion that for BPD it is crucial that the patient learns to combat the "punitive parent" inner voice. The first few times I learned to stand up to that punitive inner voice was again, a life-altering experience. Before I felt completely trapped by the vicious loops of self negating my emotional needs, vicious punitive/critical voices, self-harm, rage and then complete detachment; after I had actual proof that things can get better, things did indeed start to get better.

_8j50 4y ago
I don't know enough about BPD but thank you for sharing your experience. For both points, one thing that bothers me about them is how it is assumed a person who needs them is able to obtain them. If you have social anxiety or various sociological or cultural realities preventing you from seeing s therapist and getting a perscription what is the alternative? If I can get mortally and legally intoxicated in alcohol then why can't a patient use a chatroom to talk to psychiatrists and get relevant medication otc? Is Xanax addiction really comparable to oxycotin?
- raducu 4y ago
  Those are good points. I know xanax/benzodiazepines/anything that messes with GABA is very dangerous long term because withdrawals can kill you. I would not go as far as saying drugs should be free for all, because I have a sample size of one(myself) and for instance when dealing with nicotine -- I know 99% of the cases report that quitting nicotine is very hard, for me it was hard, but not that hard. My point would be more along the lines of "a person should be allowed to experience any drugs under medical supervision as part of therapy" -- and my supposition being in a lot of cases there can be long term effects for short term drugs just because the patient knows there's a button in his head, whereas before he thought there was none and the way he feels is completely outside his control. I know for a fact not all drugs are like that -- surely quitting antidepressants results in returning depression or quitting my stimulants results in me getting my ADHD back. But even if my impulsivity would be back for quitting ADHD stimulants, the fact that I took the stimulants for a year and was able to drive my daughter to kindergarden without turning into an emotional mess, reinforced circuitry in my brain that helps me drive without being medicated. Also my panick attacks completely stopped just because I had a Xanax in my wallet and I had the peace of mind that I could end a pannic attack if one arose. Anyway, I had some success with Buspar for anxiety. And finding the right psychiatrist to prescribe you the right medication is a process in itself; the same with psychotherapy, and meaningful change in your life. And my main point would be that a lot of people have never experienced being in control of their mental health problems and just showing them even a temporary fix could be very good for them, under the right circumstances. Under the wrong circumstances it could lead to addiction.

by raducu 4y ago

_8j50 4y ago

I don't know enough about BPD but thank you for sharing your experience. For both points, one thing that bothers me about them is how it is assumed a person who needs them is able to obtain them. If you have social anxiety or various sociological or cultural realities preventing you from seeing s therapist and getting a perscription what is the alternative? If I can get mortally and legally intoxicated in alcohol then why can't a patient use a chatroom to talk to psychiatrists and get relevant medication otc? Is Xanax addiction really comparable to oxycotin?

raducu 4y ago
Those are good points. I know xanax/benzodiazepines/anything that messes with GABA is very dangerous long term because withdrawals can kill you. I would not go as far as saying drugs should be free for all, because I have a sample size of one(myself) and for instance when dealing with nicotine -- I know 99% of the cases report that quitting nicotine is very hard, for me it was hard, but not that hard. My point would be more along the lines of "a person should be allowed to experience any drugs under medical supervision as part of therapy" -- and my supposition being in a lot of cases there can be long term effects for short term drugs just because the patient knows there's a button in his head, whereas before he thought there was none and the way he feels is completely outside his control. I know for a fact not all drugs are like that -- surely quitting antidepressants results in returning depression or quitting my stimulants results in me getting my ADHD back. But even if my impulsivity would be back for quitting ADHD stimulants, the fact that I took the stimulants for a year and was able to drive my daughter to kindergarden without turning into an emotional mess, reinforced circuitry in my brain that helps me drive without being medicated. Also my panick attacks completely stopped just because I had a Xanax in my wallet and I had the peace of mind that I could end a pannic attack if one arose. Anyway, I had some success with Buspar for anxiety. And finding the right psychiatrist to prescribe you the right medication is a process in itself; the same with psychotherapy, and meaningful change in your life. And my main point would be that a lot of people have never experienced being in control of their mental health problems and just showing them even a temporary fix could be very good for them, under the right circumstances. Under the wrong circumstances it could lead to addiction.