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DBT Tip of the Day: Understanding Dialectics
Dialectics or walking the middle path The concept of dialectics comes from philosophy in which two opposing points (the thesis and the antithesis) are brought together in a new understanding of the concept at hand, through a synthesis of these opposing view points. DBT seeks to moderate the black-and-white thinking that people with BPD and all of us sometimes get into. Here are some hints about thinking dialectically: Shift from either-or to both-and thinking. Avoid the polarized words like always, never, every time and you made me. Be descriptive of the situation without judging the situation as good or bad. Example: “My father always treats me unfairly” becomes “Sometimes my father treats…
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Psychiatry is failing those with personality disorders
A workable diagnostic system is needed, because sticking with the status quo is not an option Psychiatry is failing those with personality disorders 05 December 2012 IF DOCTORS sent patients with angina home with nothing but a prescription for a painkiller to control chest pain, they would be sued for malpractice. Sadly, that is a fitting analogy for what happens all too often to people with personality disorders. These conditions can wreck lives. Take borderline personality disorder, the most visible of the 10 such disorders currently recognised by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Emotional instability can wreak havoc on the relationships of people with this condition. All too often, there…
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Study finds Borderline personality, bipolar disorders have similar unemployment rates
Unemployment poses a significant burden on the public no matter what the cause. But for those who have been diagnosed with a psychiatric illness, chronic unemployment is often coupled with significant health care costs. A Rhode Island Hospital study compared unemployment rates among those with various psychiatric disorders, and found that borderline personality disorder is associated with as much unemployment as bipolar disorder. Researcher Mark Zimmerman, M.D., the director of outpatient psychiatry at Rhode Island Hospital, and his colleagues studied unemployment and disability rates in patients with bipolar disorder and depression with borderline personality disorder to determine the level of disability associated with each illness. The study is published in…
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The great, dialectical wisdom of the serenity prayer
The original serenity prayer as written by Reinhold Niebuhr goes like this: God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other. Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, Taking, as Jesus did,This sinful world as it is, Not as I would have it, Trusting that You will make all things right, If I surrender to Your will, So that I may be reasonably happy in this life, And supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen. The…
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DBT Skill of the Day: Wise Mind from the Mindfulness Module
Wise mind is a balance between Reasonable (or Rational) mind and Emotional Mind. Like many skills in DBT, it’s a synthesis of the two opposing mental forces (that’s what dialectics is all about). Marsha Linehan, the inventor of DBT, states: “”Wise mind is that part of each person that can know and experience truth. It is where the person knows something to be true or valid. It is almost always quiet, It has a certain peace. It is where the person knows something in a centered way.” There are 3 states of mind when we think about Wise Mind and Mindfulness. They are described as follows: Reasonable Mind When you…
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DBT Assumptions for people with BPD and their loved ones
DBT begins with a set of assumptions. It is important for both the participant in DBT and their loved ones to keep these in mind when interacting with the therapy and in their daily lives. These assumptions are: People are doing the best they can. (This includes the person with BPD and their loved ones) People want to improve. People need to do better, try harder and be more effective and more motivated to change. People may not have caused all of their own problems, but they have to solve them anyway. The lives of the suicidal, depressed, anxious and angry people are painful as they currently are being lived. All people…