Posted by AMenz on June 23, 2001, at 12:22:20
In reply to Re: To Sar - re: Borderline Personality, posted by AMenz on June 22, 2001, at 17:09:14
Nowhere did my "theory" seem more plausible than during the two years I spent in a support group for the separated and divorcerd (SAD, they called it-:)).
People who went to the group were there, almost to a person, because they had been the "dumpee's" in the relationship. Dumpers were presumably getting on with their lives.
Virtually every woman and I'd say 2/3 of the men suffered some type of depression from moderate to severe, with all the DSM-III symptoms. Here's the kicker. Whatever they did, whether therapy or no therapy AD's or not AD's virtually all members recovered after a set period-about two years for females and 6 to 9 months for men, except for those members whoe either previous to entering group or during group membership had an underlying bipolar disorder. As a matter of fact the failure to have symptoms minimize after attending the support group led to psychiatric intervention, which led to discovery of underlying disorder.
This for me was proof enough that Bipolars, etc lack a "righting response". I.e., their brains fail to restabilize after an environmental problem. Whereas "normal" or better put, the biochemically normal seem to possess this ability which I believe is non volitional and stricly biochemical.
I think psychiatrists and researchers don't hang around support groups etc where they could learn a hell of a lot.
Same thing happens for example in AA. Alcoholics who are not comorbid tend to recover brain function etc after some period of years. Seems to be about 6. Comorbid alcoholics actually get worse when they stop drinking because the masked underlying disorder, BP, UPD what have you becomes florid. They have the added problem that there are still some in AA that do not believe in psychiatry and meds because of past failures in the profession to deal with addictive disorders. This again is not theoretical it comes from observing my husband's ten year recovery and going with him to countless meetings.
Probably a good place to validate this theory might be support groups for adult children of alcoholics, etc. See how victims of abuse react. Can some simply develop some mild symptoms or behavioral difficulties, whereas others develope serious mental illnesses, etc.
> I am firmly convinced that something that gives you symptoms so serious the average human being doesn't experience anything like it, means what you have is biochemical.
>
> I have seen people go through, Auchwitz, 15 years imprisonment as political prisoners etc and come back fine. I think without an underlying biochemical problem, no amount of "environmental insult" is going to give you PTSD, of BPD. IMHO, since they haven't awarded me the Nobel prize in psychiatry just yet.
>
> > Well hey, woman!
> >
> > Thanks for the link. I'm glad I checked in--have been too tired & busy lately to read/post very much.
> >
> > Dr. Heller's theory that BPD is mostly biological is radical! Most of what I've read (not a lot...one book and some internet articles) aligns BPD with PTSD or suggests that it's rooted in abuse (physical, emotional, sexual, or all three), though it often "runs in the family." (Which again begs the nature or nurture question.) I've been thinking of my mother lately--for years a demure elementary school teacher by day, she'd fly into a blind rage once she got home, violent hysterics over "your shoes being left out" or "the chair not being pushed in." I don't fly off the handle like her, my main problem is that I absolutely remain unconvinced that I *exist*! When I smoke pot that thought makes me laugh.
> >
> > Can you tell me some about yourself, Kingfish?
> >
> > irie!
> > sar
poster:AMenz
thread:6624
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20010622/msgs/6714.html