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Has Depression become a Catch-All Diagnosis?
I believe that it has. Why? Well, there are a number of reasons that depression is a catch-all diagnosis. One certainly is the influence of the pharmaceutical industry given that billions of dollars are spent on anti-depressants each year. Also, doctors who are not mental health professionals (like GP’s) are prescribing anti-depressants if their patients are “depressed”. Unfortunately, sometimes depression is not accurate. Many times when people say “I’m feeling depressed” they are really expressing that they are feeling emotional pain. Sometimes emotional pain is normal, sometimes a great deal of emotional pain is not normal and becomes problematic. When someone is feeling too much emotionally, it is not depression.…
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Possible Genetic link in BPD?
From Science Daily: Possible Genetic Causes Of Borderline Personality Disorder Identified ScienceDaily (Dec. 20, 2008) — According to the National Institute of Mental Health, borderline personality disorder (BPD) is more common than schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and is estimated to affect 2 percent of the population. In a new study, a University of Missouri researcher and Dutch team of research collaborators found that genetic material on chromosome nine was linked to BPD features, a disorder characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image and behavior, and can lead to suicidal behavior, substance abuse and failed relationships. “The results of this study hopefully will bring researchers closer to determining the…
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Experts Argue that BPD should be an Axis I disorder
A short article from About.com regarding an Article in Biological Psychiatry about moving BPD to Axis I: Experts Argue That Borderline Personality Disorder Should Be Shifted to Axis I Thursday October 16, 2008 In a recent paper published in Biological Psychiatry, Dr. Antonia New and her colleagues at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Bronx VA Medical Center argue the case for shifting borderline personality disorder (BPD) from Axis I to Axis II of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).In the most current, fourth edition of the DSM, BPD is diagnosed on Axis II, which is reserved for “longstanding disorders,” such as personality disorders. In their…
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Emotion-Regulating Circuit Weakened In Borderline Personality Disorder
An article about emotional regulation in BPD…. Emotion-Regulating Circuit Weakened In Borderline Personality Disorder Differences in the working tissue of the brain, called grey matter, have been linked to impaired functioning of an emotion-regulating circuit in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). People with BPD had excess grey matter in a fear hub deep in the brain, which over-activated when they viewed scary faces. By contrast, the hub’s regulator near the front of the brain was deficient in grey matter and underactive, effectively taking the brakes off a runaway fear response, suggest researchers supported in part by NIMH. The imaging studies are the first to link structural brain differences with…
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A Critical Analysis of the “3-C’s” of Being a Non-BP
Often I see in the support groups on the Internet (especially the “Welcome to Oz” or WTO groups), people providing the “3 C’s” of understanding your role as a Non-BP. I’ve seen it quoted on BPD support websites too. These “3 C’s” go as follows: I didn’t cause it I can’t control it I can’t cure it While these statements are generally true, I’d like to take some time to analyze these statements and add a fourth “C.” I’d also like to tell you what you CAN do – rather than what you didn’t or can’t do. These statements help take the onus off the Non-BP for any responsibility for…
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Amazing new study on BPD from Science Magazine
Someone forwarded this information to me this morning…. Science, an extraordinarily selective and highly prestigious publication, includes a report, “The Rupture and Repair of Cooperation in Borderline Personality Disorder,” by Brooks King-Casas and five collaborators (including Peter Fonagy) in its August 8th issue. The editors of Science felt this innovative research was of such potential importance that they provided almost two full of Science’s limited pages for a commentary, “Trust Me on This. Borderline personality disorder is associated with abnormal activity in a brain region associated with monitoring trust in relationships,” by Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg. The Brooks King-Casas, et al paper in Science is another indicator of innovative, significant research with…