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Family Dynamics Around the Holiday Table
The holidays are often thought of as a time of warmth and happiness, family gathered around the table creating wonderful family memories. But for many of us, it can also be a time of angst and anxiety. (link to the article) There are many reasons you may feel stress. Perhaps you are a student struggling with school and are afraid of criticism from your family. You may be unemployed and don’t want to face questions about your job search or finances. Maybe you’ve put on or lost “too much” weight this year and are feeling self conscious. If you have been struggling with depression, mood swings or anxiety, you may…
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How I escaped suicidal depression
I had two alternatives. One was to kill myself, to end my struggle. The other was to find something rigorous and unorthodox to conquer this depression. How I escaped suicidal depression ‘I had two alternatives. One was to kill myself.’ By Leslie Contreras Schwartz, special to the Houston Chronicle November 17, 2014 “You will mostly likely have several suicide attempts in the future,” the psychiatrist said, sitting across from me in carefully crossed ankles you may need to use an ankle brace amazon. “And you will have severe clinical depression the rest of your life.” With a closed-lip smile, she closed my enormous patient file on her lap. “You must…
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I was suicidal. I needed help.
A year after her initial diagnosis, Mattocks was finally given dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) which was “the first treatment that genuinely helped.” An insight into youth mental health services: ‘I was suicidal. I needed help’ The health select committee has found ‘serious and deeply engrained problems’ in mental health services for young people At age 14, Nikki Mattocks began to hear voices in her head that drove her to self-harm. Plagued with suicidal thoughts, she sought help from her school and GP, but she was not immediately referred to a mental health professional. The next six months, before she was diagnosed, was a blur of suicide attempts and trips to…
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Today’s Take: Unique therapy gives hope to ‘hopeless’
There was a time not too long ago when clients with chronic suicidal, self-harming or other self-destructive impulses were considered impossible cases to treat. Many of them were survivors of severe childhood trauma — trauma that left them feeling worthless, unable to trust other people and having difficulty responding to treatment. For such clients, traditional therapy proved ineffective. The dangerous pattern of self-harming/suicidal behavior makes it difficult for clients to accept help. It is both frightening and frustrating. Often, friends and family feel helpless and are not sure who to turn to for support. In the past, these clients were often termed “impossible” or “hopeless.” Read More No related posts.
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Learning that there is a better way than self-harm
A new programme is being rolled out across the country to teach people who are severely suicidal and who repeatedly self-harm that there is a less destructive way to manage their emotional pain. Those who repeatedly self- harm are often diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD), which is characterised by difficulties in managing emotions, in suicidality and continual self-harm. Dr Marsha Linehan, a psychologist at the University of Washington, has led a crusade to find an effective treatment approach for BPD and has been credited internationally with developing the most effective treatment to date – dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT). Linehan spent a week in Ireland at the start of the year…
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Targeted Therapy Halves Suicide Attempts in Borderline Personality Disorder
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) reduced suicide attempts by half compared with other types of psychotherapy available in the community in patients with borderline personality disorder, an NIMH-funded study has found. DBT also excelled at reducing use of emergency room and inpatient services and more than halved therapy dropout rates compared to the mostly traditional approaches, report Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., University of Washington, and colleagues in the July 2006 issue ofArchives of General Psychiatry. “All treatments are not equal for such suicidal patients,” said Linehan. Borderline personality disorder is a difficult-to-treat mental illness affecting up to two percent of adults, 5.8-8.7 million Americans, mostly young women. People with this disorder of emotion…