Posted by Pfinstegg on October 15, 2002, at 16:20:35
In reply to Re: Chronic emptiness? Is HELL for a BPD, posted by ZH389 on October 13, 2002, at 1:11:23
Dear ZH389,
I wanted to follow up on my previous message a bit to make it more well-rounded. Having read a lot on BPH, you undoubtedly have found out that many psychiatrists now consider it a particular form of post-traumatic stress disorder, with the stress occurring in early childhood, and involving neglect and/or abuse (physical or sexual), or at the very least, a mismatch between the child and the caregiver, so that the child feels alone , unsupported and chronically stressed beyond its capabilities to cope. The physiological effects of such early stress are now beginning to be documented by brain studies in animals and people- they include alterations in the normal development of the brain, especially the pre-frontal cortex and the hippocampus, and abnormalities in the levels and actions of stress hormones and neurotransmitters.
I didn't mention medications in my earlier post, but they are definitely important in the treatment of BPH, especially early on. However, I do believe strongly that psychotherapy is essential - finding a psychotherapist with whom you can share those extremely painful feelings of aloneness and emptiness, and begin to fill in those empty places through a gradually deepening relationship with her/him, is what will enable you to grow beyond the BPD. It used to be that psychotherapists often didn't want to treat BPD patients, because they found that it was a difficult, lengthy, and often not very successful process. However, this has changed a lot, in the last ten years especially. Therapists trained in the newer technigues of relational therapy, and other similiar techniques, feel that BPD is such a common diagnosis, probably playing some part in almost every patient they see, that it is no longer a big deal- just a regular part of their work- and they feel confident in their abilities to really help. From my own experience, I think it's fair to say that overcoming BPD in therapy is very painful, and very hard work, but it is do-able! You just need the right therapist to do it with.
Whether the brain responds to medication and therapy by returning to normal is a hot topic for reseachers now. It does normalize in laboratory animals who have been stressed and then treated with some of the newer, experimental antidepressants and anti-stressors, but no-one has tested human beings enough yet to know. One really encouraging thing to keep in mind is the fairly recent discovery that people continue growing new neuronal connections- dendrites- in the hippocampus throughout life, so there is definitely the possibility of real repair of brain structures damaged by stress in early life. Having had therapy before there were any good anti-depressants available, I am privately convinced that the therapy itself helped me repair and start re-growing something vital in my own brain!
Do you feel that you can tell us a bit more about your own situation, and what your present plans and possibilities for treatment are? There are a number of people here on Psychobabble who truly understand the extreme pain BPD causes, and among us, you should be able to get a variety of helpful viewpoints. I hope we will hear from you.
Pfinstegg
poster:Pfinstegg
thread:106027
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021012/msgs/123796.html