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DSM-V: Personality disorder revamp ends in ‘horrible waste’
Rather than receiving intensive psychotherapy, which can be effective, patients with personality disorders often get treated for the anxiety and depression that can be triggered by their difficulties with social interaction. Personality disorder revamp ends in ‘horrible waste’ 11:00 03 December 2012 by Peter Aldhous A planned overhaul of the way in which personality disorders are diagnosed will not now appear in the manual dubbed “the bible of psychiatry”. The failure to agree a workable system for the next edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, known as DSM-5 is bad news for people with serious personality difficulties, who are frequently misdiagnosed. “It’s a…
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From the NY Times: Recalibrating Therapy for Our Wired World
Take a patient who has a fundamental problem in maintaining intimate relationships and who can’t tolerate being alone without feeling bored or anxious — in other words, a patient with typical features of borderline personality disorder. Not surprisingly, such a patient would love instant access to a therapist whenever an uncomfortable feeling arises. Recalibrating Therapy for Our Wired World By RICHARD A. FRIEDMAN, M.D. Published: October 8, 2012 Speed, instant gratification, accessibility — these are a few of the appealing hallmarks of digital technology. It’s no coincidence that we love our smart wireless devices: Humans are a notoriously impatient species, born with a preference for immediate rewards. But the virtues…
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Audio from NEA-BPD Yale Conference on the differences between MBT and DBT
This is a link to the NEA-BPD website of an audio presentation about the differences between MBT and DBT. The panel discussion on the differences as discussed by Dr. Anthony Bateman (MBT) and Dr. Alan Fruzzetti (DBT) after they demostrated the techniques starts at about 1 hour into the audio. Listen to the Audio No related posts.
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Management Strategies To Minimize Suicide Risk in Borderline Patients
Patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) can present with multiple crises and minor incidents of self-harm or threats, but determining when the actions are true cause for concern can be a challenge. Assessing the patient’s current state of being, recent stressors, alcohol(Drug information on alcohol) misuse, and support system can inform the health care provider about immediate risk. Similarly, below are suggested strategies that psychiatrists in various roles can employ to help reduce the risk of suicide. This Tipsheet is for quick reference only and not a replacement for the psychiatrist’s experience and training, which are at the heart of what determines the severity of a psychiatric patient’s condition. For further information,…
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Validation and Empowerment: The necessary balance for self help
Steven Stosny has a (fairly) new post on “Validation and Empowerment” which covers emotional validation vs. the empowerment necessary to change for the better. I like Stony’s work quite a bit and I agree that there is a balance between emotional validation and empowerment. When dealing with people that have been emotionally invalidated, it is my opinion that the balance initially should be tipped toward emotional validation. This is why DBT adds acceptance to the mix. If everything needs to change all at once, the thought of changing everything seems overwhelming and nothing changes – there’s no empowerment to improve and become effective. Instead, the person is stuck in helplessness. In my…
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Book Review: My Alien Self: My Journey Back to Me by Amanda Green
I recently finished reading Amanda Green’s My Alien Self: My Journey Back to Me on my Kindle. It is a memoir that begins with the author’s diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder and moves on to a journal entry from her teenage years about being raped – a journal entry that she didn’t remember writing about an event that she’d suppressed in her memory. The first half of the book covers the events in her life leading up to the BPD diagnosis and to the development of her alien self. Many of these events are typical of borderline thinking and behaving in the face of painful emotions, depression and dysphoria. She…