Posted by shelliR on August 12, 2001, at 0:40:10
In reply to Stuff » shelliR, posted by Elizabeth on August 11, 2001, at 22:20:43
> Hi Shelli. I get what you mean now about energy-sapping alters -- thanks. I'm really learning some useful things about dissociative disorders from you, I think.
>
I'm glad; it's a topic I know a lot about, unlike uh medical stuff. :-)
> [re migraines]
> If Imitrex and the other -triptans are contraindicated (e.g., if the patient is on a MAOI), morphine or Dilaudid or somesuch can always be used (just not Demerol). Of course, doctors hate to prescribe or dispense those drugs, especially injectable formulations, so many people who take MAOIs and who get migraines probably are undertreated (or just plain untreated).
>
well, I just have been loading myself with various and sundry synthetic codeine and it works for the migraine, but then I may be jeopardizing the anti-depressant effects by building up a tolerance. It doesn't seem like that yet, though. When I load up on it because of a migraine, if I don't have a migraine the next day I'm able to go back to my regular dose.> [re your career history:]
> > ... I was unable to work. I had planned to become a clinical psychologist, but wasn't together enough (I knew that, but even so got a masters), so this came out of going back to take a couple of art classes at my therapist's insistance at the time that I create some structure in my life. I now have absolutely no desire to be a therapist.
> Grad school is tough, probably even in psychology. :-) I didn't even make it through a trimester (I was briefly a math grad student; this was when I was on Nardil for the second time, and just like the first time, it pooped out on me).:-) As far as grad school in psychology, most of all I really loved my course on methodology. I think everyone should be required to take a methodology course, no matter what field they are in. It makes you a more educated reader of any study. One of my most fun research jobs was to write the methodology instrument used for evaluating results of studies funded by congress on crime and the environment. Evaluating the studies was a joke, because right off there was no control group in most of the studies. These studies were a total waste of money. One of my neighbors has a great position at a local university. She teaches one class a semester and all the rest of the time she gets to do her own research. Criminology is a good field to go into because congress always throws a lot of money into "fighting crime".
>> I love this idea that some therapists seem to have that your life will be fine if only you get some "structure," which usually means either (1)getting a job that you're way overqualified for, on the grounds that it will be easy for you -- which isn't necessarily true -- and that it's a "stepping stone" to getting where you want to be, or (2) getting involved in a day treatment or partial program (intensive group therapy). I think that in option (1) the job is usually something that's so ill-suited to the individual that s/he just can't do it (and his/her self-esteem is lowered even more over being unable to do a theoretically "easy" job), and option (2) just further isolates a person further from the real/normal/sane world (okay, maybe "sane" is a bit much < g >).
Yes, I totally agree with your analysis of options (1) and (2) and I would add regarding option (1) that one can still experience horrible boredom even when one is depressed, another major problem with that option. Boredom is worse than anything for me. Now there could be option (3) however: just going to a non-career oriented class--one of the arts, or yoga, whatever. (maybe for you, math) < vbg >
In defense of my therapist (who was about three therapists ago), I didn't ever get the impression that she thought my life would be fine if I got some structure, but I do think if you can find the right structure, it is a healthier way to go, rather than hang out at home everyday by yourself. And it doesn't have to be like all day, every day. Just sort of someway to know it's Tuesday instead of Thursday. Also I was living alone, so I really did need to get out and communicate in some way. I had no idea that it would turn out to have everything to do with my future profession. Taking art classes at a community college was perfect for me. There were your basic 18 year olds, but there were also your senior citizens, and your emotionally disabled, because classes are free for the later categories. It turned out to be a really comfortable place for me to hang out, and my evening class (drawing) was mostly working people, so taking one day class and one evening class was good. But it was good because I wasn't trying to tie it in to career at all, just trying to have a relaxing class with no homework. Some of the design and color classes had tons of homework, so I never took any of them.
> I have a question for you: in your last post, the one directed to Lorraine, you referred to some dispute in a different thread. Could you point me toward the posts in question (the ones where you had the dispute)? Just curious.
no dispute, just a difference of opinion (and one of several over the last year): starts with http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010725/msgs/72674.html. But I'm not sure that Lorraine even meant that, and I definitely feel strange talking about someone instead of to them. If there was any way that I could have said it to the person involved without everyones else's .02, and the possibility of a heated battle, that would have been the decent thing to do. I just I feel like I can say anything on this thread because I would assume that most people, even those who started reading it, would have given up following it out of confusion, boredom, whatever. < g >
Wow, 1:36 am est!
Goodnight.....................................
Shelli
poster:shelliR
thread:67742
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010809/msgs/74727.html