Posted by Dinah on July 25, 2002, at 6:33:13
In reply to Re: I think the most difficult part » Dinah, posted by melinda on July 24, 2002, at 18:28:56
Thanks Melinda.
I think it's great that you're using CBT to augment your meds. I remember reading once of an elderly gentleman who had held down a job successfully and appeared on the surface to have no illness. Someone found out he had had strong auditory hallucinations all his life. When asked how he had been able to function so well, he simply answered that he didn't do what the voices told him to do. It struck me as inspirational somehow, although of course I realize that it isn't that simple. But when you spoke about CBT, it made me think that he had somehow managed to self treat himself with CBT even though he probably had no idea what it was. And wasn't what happened in A Beautiful Mind also some form of self-administered CBT?
I was very young (around 3 or 4) when I was frightened by my aunt's behavior. She used to suddenly announce she was someone else (some historical figure) and speak in a different voice. Since then a couple of other family members and one family friend have had problems with psychotic breaks. None of them are at all violent so none of them particularly scare me. If the delusion involves me, I gently correct it as I would if any other person had mistaken the details of my life (at the advice of my therapist - and let me add that none of the delusions were dangerous). If the delusion doesn't involve me and isn't dangerous (and none of them have been dangerous) I leave it up to their medical professional. I'm certainly not trained to challenge delusions.
None of my relatives have tried CBT, but all but one of them is stabilized on their medicatons. The one who isn't still hasn't developed insight into her illness. I think it's great that you have so much awareness of your illness and are working on it so hard.
Best wishes,
Dinah
poster:Dinah
thread:702
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20020702/msgs/726.html