Be wary of labels
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May 27, 2012 - 3:40 pm
It's funny how psychiatrists often caution patients not to get hung up on "labels" like Bipolar and BPD and yet in my experience, having been misdiagnosed and became chemically suicidal on the cocktail of drugs I was on, I would say the danger lies in the psychiatrists are the ones that get stuck on labels. Over a two year period I was misdiagnosed as bipolar !, then II and put on mood-stabilizers and anti-psychotics - all of which had detrimental side affects both physically and mentally. all the while I kept screaming that I was depressed and anxious.. It turns out I have a hyperthymic personality which is really worth googling if you don't know what it is but it is basically a person who's BASELINE is energetic, creative and a whole list of other very positive attributes but this PERSONALITY type is prone to deeper depressions that the norm. So in effect, they treated my PERSONALITY - hence the Bipolar label - instead of the SYMPTOMS of depression. The anxiety has a PTSD component but was exacerbated by the fact that they would not listen and the anti-psychotics in particular were to blame, as was the tendency to INCREASE a dose rather than DECREASE it. It's also interesting to note that having tried pretty much every SSRI out there, each time I tried one it catapulted me in to a state of hypomania. However, within 24 hours of discontinuing, the hypomania disappeared. I also noticed compulsive behaviours on these. Again, my PERSONALITY as a baseline includes quite a bit of OCD in that I clean my place alot and tend to go hell-for-leather at projects until I am satisfied they are finished, but again, SSRI's simply increased these tendencies and included some pretty self-destructive behaviours which all resolved completely upon discontinuing the drug. Anyone else with experiences like these? I have recently been "re-traumatized" by a series of events (PTSD) which have reared some traits of Cluster B BPD but with the incredible help and support of my team (NOT the hospital that almost killed me!) I have discovered that mindfulness and meditation is an incredible tool to bring me back to BASELINE. Anyone else with experiences like this? Also curious to know if others now recognise what their TRUE baseline and personality is and if they use this as a way of monitoring their illness.
It's funny how psychiatrists often caution patients not to get hung up on "labels" like Bipolar and BPD and yet in my experience, having been misdiagnosed and became chemically suicidal on the cocktail of drugs I was on, I would say the danger lies in the psychiatrists are the ones that get stuck on labels. Over a two year period I was misdiagnosed as bipolar !, then II and put on mood-stabilizers and anti-psychotics - all of which had detrimental side affects both physically and mentally. all the while I kept screaming that I was depressed and anxious.. It turns out I have a hyperthymic personality which is really worth googling if you don't know what it is but it is basically a person who's BASELINE is energetic, creative and a whole list of other very positive attributes but this PERSONALITY type is prone to deeper depressions that the norm. So in effect, they treated my PERSONALITY - hence the Bipolar label - instead of the SYMPTOMS of depression. The anxiety has a PTSD component but was exacerbated by the fact that they would not listen and the anti-psychotics in particular were to blame, as was the tendency to INCREASE a dose rather than DECREASE it. It's also interesting to note that having tried pretty much every SSRI out there, each time I tried one it catapulted me in to a state of hypomania. However, within 24 hours of discontinuing, the hypomania disappeared. I also noticed compulsive behaviours on these. Again, my PERSONALITY as a baseline includes quite a bit of OCD in that I clean my place alot and tend to go hell-for-leather at projects until I am satisfied they are finished, but again, SSRI's simply increased these tendencies and included some pretty self-destructive behaviours which all resolved completely upon discontinuing the drug. Anyone else with experiences like these? I have recently been "re-traumatized" by a series of events (PTSD) which have reared some traits of Cluster B BPD but with the incredible help and support of my team (NOT the hospital that almost killed me!) I have discovered that mindfulness and meditation is an incredible tool to bring me back to BASELINE. Anyone else with experiences like this? Also curious to know if others now recognise what their TRUE baseline and personality is and if they use this as a way of monitoring their illness.
June 1, 2012 - 1:28 pm
Total Posts: 3
Joined: 05-29-2012
Joined: 05-29-2012
I really get what you"re saying here.
Psychiatrists are the ones that get hooked on labels, in fact they are the worse when it comes to people with bpd.
I fight with psychiatry whenever I'm unfortunately, a patient for a brief period of time.
I too have been on drugs that were detrimental to me and making my emotions worse or not changing my mood.
I realize drugs have a role in treating disorders, but also see how drugs can make someone worse, not necessarily better.
I wish you the best of success in living with a cruel label like bpd.
I also suffer from this with depression and OcD.
Psychiatrists are the ones that get hooked on labels, in fact they are the worse when it comes to people with bpd.
I fight with psychiatry whenever I'm unfortunately, a patient for a brief period of time.
I too have been on drugs that were detrimental to me and making my emotions worse or not changing my mood.
I realize drugs have a role in treating disorders, but also see how drugs can make someone worse, not necessarily better.
I wish you the best of success in living with a cruel label like bpd.
I also suffer from this with depression and OcD.
I really get what you"re saying here.
Psychiatrists are the ones that get hooked on labels, in fact they are the worse when it comes to people with bpd.
I fight with psychiatry whenever I'm unfortunately, a patient for a brief period of time.
I too have been on drugs that were detrimental to me and making my emotions worse or not changing my mood.
I realize drugs have a role in treating disorders, but also see how drugs can make someone worse, not necessarily better.
I wish you the best of success in living with a cruel label like bpd.
I also suffer from this with depression and OcD.
Psychiatrists are the ones that get hooked on labels, in fact they are the worse when it comes to people with bpd.
I fight with psychiatry whenever I'm unfortunately, a patient for a brief period of time.
I too have been on drugs that were detrimental to me and making my emotions worse or not changing my mood.
I realize drugs have a role in treating disorders, but also see how drugs can make someone worse, not necessarily better.
I wish you the best of success in living with a cruel label like bpd.
I also suffer from this with depression and OcD.
Joined: 05-27-2012