DBT as treatment for personality disorders

Hello !

Dythemia , on the list , and has been on my med cert ( perscip  Citalopram  ) . This comes co morbid with the     personality disorder ' Scitzotypal '  ,  present ,  main  ,  diagnosis  from Hove hospital  ,  alcohol detox . 

God !  I must admit I like these personality disorders . On the  ' Internet mental health '  STPD ' page , I could have been reading about myself ! .

So , Hi fellow personality disorder person ! .

I would recommend you have a bash at DBT 

How about this

The Tarot card  ' The Chariot '

The chariot driver is the personality . The two horses , one for reason , one for emotion  . The drivers job , to keep these forces under some sort of control , so , the chariot ends up going somewhere . And preferably not into the nearest ditch  , well , not all the time anyway !

ian59              ( :           

I'm liking the chariot analogy! And ditches aren't that bad until you wake up! xxxx

BTW Ian, am having a bash at DBT. it's so hard but so good. 

Hi Vic,

I was diagnosed with BPD and have had it for a while now; I have had 2 psychologists, many a psychiatrist and many different GPs, I tried a DBT skills group which was basically a lecture with about 40 people in; you didnt participate you just listened like a uni lecture and that was it for 8 weeks. It was very boring and dull and I didnt find it helpful in the slightest because I was anxious about the other people there and hate silences so it was really awkward for me, plus I couldnt see myself using the skills or applying them in my real life so it was silly. Smaller DBT groups are apparently better and DBT therapy with a psychologist one to one is supposed to be helpful. If you get one; keep hold of it! Let me know how you get on. 

I am currently on the waiting list for another psychologist (been on it for 12 months thus far from when I ended up in hospital twice last August, Ive been told it usually takes about 18 months - which is terrible.

I am moving to a City soon so hopefully the waiting list will be shorter there, we can only hope.

Good luck and take care, youre not alone! 

Hi Vic !    

It's not a bad analogy is it !

So , DBT , sounds quite heavy ! , dialectic , thesis  - antithesis  - synthases ! ,  hard ! , quite possibly good ! 

Getting the heart and mind to pull in the same direction - down the middle of the road ! . ( impossible ! )

Hi Kelly !

The collection of letters after my name STPD , ' scizotypal ' ' pd ' , means that I too have had multiple psychiatrists , counselling, agencies , social workers . Because I drink though , they have all dumped me , even my GP ! 

Ultimately we do have a responsibility for our own well being , and that includes seeking professional help , to work with rather than expecting our problems to be sorted out for us . 

Psych Central is a good place to learn about DBT , so I would recommend finding out what it is , read books , self help and so on , and NHS may consider helping out , with a one to one , private therapist ! 

 hope your move goes well , and you are excited about it !    ( me too , I'm gonna move soon )

Vic and Kelly

Brilliant day !                           ian59

Hi Kelly, your experience with DBT sounds shite. I have a group with up yo 5 people in it and it is excellent, with a 1-1 therapist too. It's in Birmingham so I guess I'm lucky having that postcode. It's awful that it depends on where you live as to what help you can get. I hope you get better support when you move. xxx

Ian, its crappy when you drink so they won't help you. When I was drinking to cope I was still in denial and not even seeking help. I hope you reach a breakthrough point either at the bottom of a bottle or with some prof support.

sending the love xxxxx

As long as it's not at the bottom of a lake - that I fell in and drowned - although this would be a breakthrough  in a way . The prof help in this area  in my experience ( some )  , is another kind of drowning , in the world of   ' ' '  units a day ' , ' AA ' . ' therapeutic communities ' , and ' revolving door ' , falling off the wagon now and again to keep the whole thing rolling along . No one could call me cynical .

Maybe a dialectical approach would work ? 

Thesis      drink is bad       in denial about it .

Antithesis       drink is good          can cut through ' dythemia ' ( not quite depression , more bad mood ) , health services in denial about this .

Synthesis        drink in of itself is neutral . Don't let it become a habit . Always make sure you have a decent breakfast , don't start the day off with a can , and try not to fall in the lake .

                                                                                                                    ian59

I think I might call you cynical Ian, but funny too. xxxx

I am undergoing therapy                   ( :

Lol, literally