-
Judge Tells Drunk to Kill Himself
I saw this story on television this morning. The emphasis is mine. The judge should be disbarred and fired IMO: Magistrate Tells Man to Kill Himself (WXYZ) – Court officials in Novi say a magistrate “could have chosen better words” when she told a man convicted of drunk driving and other offenses that he should commit suicide by jumping to his death or slitting his wrists in a bathtub. 52nd District Court Magistrate Judith Holtz made the shocking statements during a hearing on April 10 as she was sentencing 20-year-old Michael Robert Dickey on a charge of Minor in Possession of alcohol. Dickey had two prior convictions for drunk driving…
-
Woman indicted in fatal MySpace hoax on girl
I wrote a reaction to the story of the MySpace Suicide. Here’s an update: Woman indicted in fatal MySpace hoax on girl By Dan Whitcomb2 hours, 11 minutes ago A 49-year-old Missouri mother accused of using a fake MySpace persona to “torment, harass, humiliate and embarrass” a 13-year-old girl who hanged herself was indicted on Thursday on federal charges. Lori Drew, accused of helping dupe 13-year-old Megan Meier into believing she was chatting with a teenage boy, was indicted on conspiracy and other charges by a U.S. District Court jury in Los Angeles. Meier’s suicide in October of 2006 made worldwide headlines and prompted calls for social networking sites like…
-
Paranoia, Shame and Judgment Sensitivity
My wife has recently been really paranoid that the local moms don’t like her. She thinks that since they will sometimes not let their children come over to our house and play with my son that it means that they don’t trust her. OK, to be totally frank, my wife has been investigated by CPS twice. Once because of a DUI and once because she was over-medicated and went over to a judgmental woman’s house to pick up our children. The woman thought my wife was acting weird and reported her to CPS. I think that many BP’s get paranoid about their self-image with other people. The combo of fear…
-
Mentalization Based Therapy Shows Promise with BPD
Here’s an article on mentalization based therapy (MBT). A snip: The study, “8-Year Follow-Up of Patients Treated for Borderline Personality Disorder: Mentalization-Based Treatment Versus Treatment as Usual,” is the latest analysis of a randomized trial first reported in AJP in October 1999 and titled “Effectiveness of Partial Hospitalization in the Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Joel Paris, M.D., an expert on BPD, explained that mentalization therapy, developed by Bateman and Fonagy in the 1990s, is based on attachment theory and on observations that BPD patients have a failure of “mentalization”—the ability to observe their own emotions and those of other people and to appreciate how their…
-
BPD and Lying – again…
I believe there are several basic motivations to lie when you have BPD. There are also two types of lies: by admission (by telling) and by omission (by not telling). Both types are a problem with someone with BPD. The motivations for telling a lie (or omitting truth) by someone with BPD are as follows: 1. When it is more painful to admit or tell the truth. 2. When she wants the other person to think “better” of her than she thinks of herself. 3. To avoid the judgment of the other person or judgment of herself. 4. When she can’t see the “truth” because of emotional reasoning brought on…
-
BPD and anti-anxiety (benzo) abuse – a call for help
A few months ago a member of my Google Support List for Non-BP’s issued me a challenge. I have noticed that many people with BPD abuse prescription drugs, particularly anti-anxiety medication. Mainly the abuse seems to be of benzodiazepines (aka benzos) which include Xanax (generic alprazolam), Ativan (lorazepam), Klonopin (clonazepam), Valium (diazepam) and others (although those seem to be the most popular). I listened to a podcast by a psychiatrist who treats borderline patients. He says almost all of them eventually ask for Xanax. Xanax has to be the absolute worst drug to treat BPD. Why?See the results of these (rather old) studies: Alprazolam (benzodiazepine) Gardner, D.L. & Cowdry, R.W.…