Posted by hrguru on April 21, 2010, at 6:31:02
In reply to Re: Wow, posted by Phillipa on April 18, 2010, at 11:16:24
I don't have Borderline Personality Disorder myself, but I do have Bipolar Disorder (type II). Occasionally these disorders overlap, therefore a person can have both disorders. These cases are truly chaotic and tragic (my boyfriend's sister has both disorders). If you have a chemical imbalance, meds will work- as in the case of Bipolar Disorder. Since Borderline is a personality disorder, the main course of treatment is psychotherapy, and not medication- unless you have a comorbid mental illness (i.e. generalized anxiety disorder, depression). Personality disorders are behavioral in nature (not chemical), and are rarely treated with pharmacotherapy. So if you take meds for the Borderline, and you do not have a comorbid mental illness, this is why the meds have no effect.
Please don't get me wrong. Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder share a lot of the same characteristics and are painful for those who have to suffer with these life-long illnesses. One is often misdiagnosed as the other, and vice-versa. Both of our illnesses cause us to experience terrible mood swings; but, unless you have been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, you need to educate yourself on risks associated with mood-stabilizers- as they are usually prescribed for people with Bipolar Disorder. And there is a valid reason for this. Before you ask your p-doc or therapist for anti-convulsants or anti-psychotics, please understand that these drugs will probably just leave you with mortifying side-effects, and nothing else if you have a personality disorder and not an actual chemical imbalance.
I'm telling you this, because I don't want you to experience these side effects, as I have with some of these drugs. I don't want you to experience all of this in vain. That would piss anyone off. To go through the side effects, with no end results? Trying to find the right "drug cocktail" is horrifying, but I hate to think that people might be thinking about taking these drugs without fully understanding what the drugs are used for, and the risks involved. Someone in the thread mentioned anti-psychotics can cause diabetes. This is true and not only that, but they can cause permanent tardive dyskinesia. These might be side-effects that some people have to deal with, in order to feel mental wellness, but it's quite a hefty bargain. I'm just asking you to weigh the pros and cons and to look at all the options. That's what I'm doing now. I'm on meds, sure (not anti-psychotics though). But, I have been trying out DBT with my doctor, and I think it's amazing. It's opened my eyes to the fact that my perception/judgment is sometimes way off, and it's helping me to learn how to sort of "train" my judgment. I'm sure that some of you have tried it, but if you haven't you should! It's amazing :) I'm not trying to upset anyone, and I really hope that I haven't. I just understand where you are coming from. I hate reading articles that say there is "no hope" and that it's a "lifelong" illness. Sure there are meds, but sometimes they are horrible! They have terrible side effects, and sometimes they don't work very well. In certain cases, why even take a drug if you don't have to? Making sure you have a great support system, a good doctor, a correct course of treatment for the illness- these are all things that I have found to be most helpful :)
poster:hrguru
thread:943634
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20100405/msgs/944296.html