Posted by Dinah on June 28, 2006, at 11:00:57
In reply to Re: Continuing discussion of PD's--happyflower » Dinah, posted by happyflower on June 28, 2006, at 10:19:07
Nope. You can experience IBS and migraines without anxiety. Stress makes them more likely. But migraines can also be triggered by hormones, by flickering lights, by lack of sleep. My neurologist said that they are currently believed to be caused by a cascade of serotonin.
There's a stereotype of IBS being part of anxiety, but I think maybe it could just be a common root cause. I *think* IBS is caused by an excess of serotonin in the gut.
I'm not sure that you can make the temporary/permanent distinction so easily. For any number of people depression, manic depression, and anxiety can be a recurring and chronic condition.
And BPD is often "outgrown".
Also, people can change their coping mechanisms. It's just not easy.
My point is that "personality disorders" is an unnecessarily judgemental assessment.
As far as myself... If I read Linehan's description of the inner life of a person with borderline personality disorder I stand up and shout "THAT'S ME!!!!". However, thus far my pdocs in my adulthood have ruled out borderline personality disorder as a diagnosis despite my occasional cutting. I tend to use different coping mechanisms. Instead of having a life marked by instability, my life is marked by excessive attachment to stability. That's my coping mechanisms.
Which goes back to my same argument. I think in many ways I should be treated as a person with borderline personality disorder, especially medically. But in terms of coping mechanisms, I use a different set of coping mechanisms. So in my imaginary perfect DSM world my diagnosis would read something like
Axis I: Anxiety disorder, OCD and unspecified. Mood disorder, affective instability.
Axis II: Coping mechanisms involve excessive clinging to stability, overeating, dissociation, and occasionally cutting.
Treatment plan: Treat the underlying anxiety and affective instability with medications. Therapy would involve learning anxiety and affective instability control techniques such as guided visualization, progressive relaxation, biofeedback, and breathing exercise. In addition therapy would target finding better coping mechanisms than the ones currently used.
Doesn't that sound much better than a Personality Disorder with not much of a positive prognosis?
poster:Dinah
thread:662028
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20060623/msgs/662210.html