Posted by SLS on March 26, 2005, at 11:36:20
In reply to ouch ... my own stupidity, posted by Maxime on March 25, 2005, at 23:42:32
Two quick questions for you, Maxime.
Have you been diagnosed as having borderline personality disorder (BPD) or any other Axis II disorder?
To what degree is anxiety a problem?
I know other people who cut, and I think I can understand what it is that precipitates the behavior. Cutting feels good. It certainly feels better than the painful anxiety and tension that builds up over time with depression or any other mental illness. It is a release.
As a matter of fact, cutting really is a release. It provokes the release of endogenous opioids and an adrenaline rush. Opioids can be feel-good neurotransmitters. The endorphins are the most well-known of these opioids. Enkephalins might actually be more potent. Morphine and heroin are opioids, and you know how addictive these drugs can be. You are somewhat addicted to cutting. Of course, the adrenaline rush helps mask the problems that you are trying to escape. If the cutting gets out of hand, there are drugs used to help with it. They block the opioid receptors so that there is no reward in cutting and cravings to cut are reduced. Naltrexone is one of these drugs. I'm sure there are psychotherapeutic alternatives that might make sense to investigate first, particularly if BPD is an issue.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:475688
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050326/msgs/475785.html