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Those of you who follow me may have gleaned that I've been having trouble getting a psychiatrist. Basically, I was finally allowed to see one and she threw up her hands, told me to give up and that I was never going to get any better. This is one of the worst things I have ever been told, and personally, I think is unacceptable on pretty much every level. However, yesterday I managed to see someone new, and this poses its own challenges.
You can learn to deal with phobias and fears. For example, I'm getting on a whole bunch of trains this week. That's something I couldn't do a couple of years ago. Public transport just wasn't my thing, and over time I developed a full-blown phobia of trains and other public transport.
Years ago I worked for a pharmacist who had obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). I only spent about 20 hours a month with him and didn't immediately notice the struggle he lived with every day. But by the time he was snatching prescriptions bottles out of my hand as I was ringing up customers, dumping the contents out, and counting the pills "just one more time," even I was having trouble coping with his obsessive-compulsive symptoms. After closing up the pharmacy one night, we said goodnight and he left. I took my time gathering my things from the back room and was headed for the door when I heard loud banging. Alarmed, I followed the sound and found him throwing his body repeatedly against the locked counter door, unable to trust that it was securely fastened. Watching him that night, I clearly saw the distress OCD can cause.
As I began discussing in last week's post, the challenges of parenting a child with a psychiatric illness aren't limited to just managing the illness. Like any other medical condition, psychiatric illness--even when under control--brings other issues to the party. Among them is homework. In this post, the "three-part-drama" of Homework continues. Part II - The Battle Begins
A few weeks ago I wrote an article on the worst things to say to a person with a mental illness. This ended up becoming a very popular article. I think that’s because most of us have heard some or all of these dismissive things from people in our lives. But a commenter posed an excellent question: What are the best things to say to someone with a mental illness?
People with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder(BPD) often can not integrate more than one side of a situation. One week’s perfect therapy may be next week’s torture, rather than therapy being a helpful yet difficult process.
"Take a look inside my Bipolar Brain and you'll see crazy," proclaims Breaking Bipolar blog author, Natasha Tracy. Natasha is diagnosed with bipolar II, ultra-rapid cycling and has been in treatment for over a decade. Unfortunately, even after trying numerous bipolar treatments, Natasha has received little relief.
I was sitting in a group therapy session once when the leader succinctly described the perception those of us with multiple personalities have of ourselves as groups of entirely separate people by writing the following on the white board: Me/Not Me. This is me. That is not me. For instance, I am a writer. But if another member of my system were assigned the task of writing this blog post, we would see how the Multiple Personality Disorder label came about. Some might have done a passable job. Others would have struggled mightily only to ultimately produce a choppy, thoroughly unimpressive piece of work. I am me. They are not me.
Yesterday I talked about the Dissociative Identity Disorder diagnosis and the vital role clinicians play in making that diagnosis. One of the reasons it's important to talk to a therapist if you think you may have DID is that dissociation by nature impedes awareness. Most people can't see the spot between their shoulder blades without a mirror. Similarly, most severely dissociative people aren't able to clearly recognize the symptoms of DID and the extent of their problem without the help of a skilled clinician. In fact, the diagnosis often comes as a shock. Today I'd like to share with you a typical diagnosis story - my own.
Mental Illness: It's Not Just You It's Mental Health Awareness Week and some of  Hollywood's brightest stars have created a charity, and coming out campaign. Watch the PSA with the ever-sexy Harrison Ford: No Kidding, Me too! Let's change the conversation about mental health, and treat anxiety. Here's a Friday fun one to help lighten your week: The Obsessive-Compulsive Buddhist

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Comments

Mags
Curious where this has ended up? As i am in this situation right now
Dawn Gressard
If it were only that easy... I agree. To alleviate anxiety, you have to have coping skills or a list of things (a toolbox, so to speak) that help you retake control of your brain. This, then, hopefully, lessens the anxiety so you can work your way through whatever it is that has triggered your fear more healthily.
nils
Wonderful that "instead of being anxious, don't be anxious!" works for you. However, if it was that easy everyone would be doing it.
Joseph
I am.learning to better understand my partner who.has been diagnosed with D.I.D and I appreciate your blogs. Thank you for helping me to better understand and be loving.
Joseph A
I am trying to learn all that I can about D.I.D because my partner has been diagnosed with it. We are trying to renew a relationship. We have a daughter together and have a 17 year history. I was released from prison. Almost two months ago after 6 years. She had expressed to me that she was diagnosed, but I didn't really understand all that entails. She transitioned one night about two weeks ago and I was there and actually experienced it. When we were together in the past it was all pre diagnoses. I am trying to better understand her and how I can best love and support her. I have felt rejected since I came home and now I am starting to understand her need to feel safe, secure, and stable in order to share any kind of intimacy with me. After reading your article and watching the video I see how she had been trying to be intimate with me emotionally, intellectually, recreational, and spiritually. This is all very new to me and my love language has always been touch and affection...which I am.learning is hard for her these days. I just wanted to say thank you. I will continue to try to understand and love her and this platform has been very helpful.