Coping With An Emotional Crisis Involving Multiple Diagnoses (BPD, OCD, PTSD) – There is HOPE!
But, needless to say, I became quite frightened and concerned about my state of mind. I knew I had no intention of hurting myself. I knew that the thoughts were distressing and that I didn’t want them. Because I’d been experiencing other OCD symptoms that had been dormant for a long time (checking doors and stove, repeating things), I suspected that this familiar vicious cycle of unwanted thoughts and distressing over these thoughts were more than likely OCD. This brought some comfort.
- Checked in with therapist about symptoms
- Checked in with DBT group therapist about same
- Checked in with medications nurse and psychiatrist about same
- Increased anxiety meds as prescribed/recommended by psychiatrist
- Researched and am considering additional medication for mood stabilization and obsessive thoughts (I have questions though, such as: Is this as-needed or a daily thing? Are these addictive? Do the potential benefits outweigh possible side effects? How quickly do they work? Is this just temporary, during this stressful time? What other non-medication solutions are available to me? …. I’ll be asking these questions today to medications nurse and then discussing with therapist tomorrow.)
- Keeping my appointments (2 DBT groups this week and 1 individual session tomorrow.)
- Self-Soothing:
- I’ve been wrapping myself up in my favorite fleece blanket and swaddling on the couch, watching TV shows that make me smile
- I bought some cherry blossom scented body wash and used some body lotion with the same scent. I also got some new shampoo to have a new sensory experience in the shower.
- Ate a fudge brownie
- Lots of encouraging self-talk
- Being willing to explore ways to feel and be well.
I hope that you are feeling encouraged after reading this post. No matter what you are going through now…no matter how overwhelming or hopeless it may feel, we CAN push through to make choices that will make our situation better. We can choose to refrain from behaviors that will make our situation worse or sabotage us and the hard work we’ve been doing.
I have a book coming out next month. This is a huge accomplishment. I need to focus on that. I also radically accept that, as I discussed with my DBT group therapist, this particular crisis is probably an old coping mechanism (possibly related to OCD) to distract me from the REAL, intensely difficult situations I am facing right now (trauma related to work and discussions with significant other about his plans to return overseas to be with his parents) and that simply acknowledging this allows me to have more compassion for the fact that, as Dr. Marsha Linehan says: “Everything has cause.” It will pass.
I will continue to self-care and will keep you posted on how things are going.
How are YOU doing right now? What are you doing to take care of yourself?
Do you have more than one diagnosis, and how has this complicated things for you? Have you found ways to cope? I’d love to hear about your experience.
Thanks for reading.
More Soon.
More Soon.
I'm not doing well right now and am also in a 'crisis mode' and this is made worse by the fact that I will probably lose my job because of it. I did DBT about 8 years ago and it worked out great for about 5 years. The past 3 years has been really bad with the past couple months being the worst. I just can't make my skills work anymore and it is so frustrating! I am on the waiting list for the only DBT program in the area and I will hopefully hear something in about 4 months. It is comforting to hear that your skills come in handy for you. You are a sign of hope! Thank you!
I'm not doing well right now and am also in a 'crisis mode' and this is made worse by the fact that I will probably lose my job because of it. I did DBT about 8 years ago and it worked out great for about 5 years. The past 3 years has been really bad with the past couple months being the worst. I just can't make my skills work anymore and it is so frustrating! I am on the waiting list for the only DBT program in the area and I will hopefully hear something in about 4 months. It is comforting to hear that your skills come in handy for you. You are a sign of hope! Thank you!
Nicki, I am so sorry that you're going through this right now. Remember how DBT has helped you in the past. That means it can again. I know it feels like you can't make them work anymore, but I challenge you to challenge that thought. Maybe with, "It's difficult to practice my skills, but if I put in enough effort, I really can." I hope you'll find lots of ways to implement the skills here. In the meantime, I recommend My Dialectical Life at: http://mydialecticallife.com/subscribe_to_my_dialectical_life/?source=hfbpdpost She sends you a DBT skill everyday by email along with ideas for implementing them. I bet this could be a really helpful resource to you while you're waiting. Let me know if you give it a try and if you like it. Good work getting on that waiting list!
Nicki, I am so sorry that you're going through this right now. Remember how DBT has helped you in the past. That means it can again. I know it feels like you can't make them work anymore, but I challenge you to challenge that thought. Maybe with, "It's difficult to practice my skills, but if I put in enough effort, I really can." I hope you'll find lots of ways to implement the skills here. In the meantime, I recommend My Dialectical Life at: http://mydialecticallife.com/subscribe_to_my_dialectical_life/?source=hfbpdpost She sends you a DBT skill everyday by email along with ideas for implementing them. I bet this could be a really helpful resource to you while you're waiting. Let me know if you give it a try and if you like it. Good work getting on that waiting list!
Debbie, I really want to thank you so much for having this blog. I got diagnosed with bpd 2 years ago and I finally had my first DBT session yesterday. Your blog and the things in your life that you share, gave me the little extra push I needed to advocate for myself to my parents in getting DBT. I'm so sorry that you are still struggling from time to time because, believe me, I know it's not easy. I commend you, though, for having the strength to use your skills. 🙂 I'm super excited for your book! Take care.
~ Cheryl
Debbie, I really want to thank you so much for having this blog. I got diagnosed with bpd 2 years ago and I finally had my first DBT session yesterday. Your blog and the things in your life that you share, gave me the little extra push I needed to advocate for myself to my parents in getting DBT. I'm so sorry that you are still struggling from time to time because, believe me, I know it's not easy. I commend you, though, for having the strength to use your skills. 🙂 I'm super excited for your book! Take care.
~ Cheryl
Dear Debbie, I was diagnosed with BPD 3 years ago when I was in crisis and I was so troubled by the sound of the diagnosis I really ignored it. I went throigh a suicide attempt and some dark times and somehow came out the other side. Now a painful breakup and a confluence of stress in my life has brought about another acute crisis and once again BPD has been suggested. I think I feel ready to accept it, but I'm ashamed in a way, it sounds so final and personal. Anyway, DBT has been recommended but may be difficult to get as i live in Germany. I just wanted to reach out and make contact and know I'm not on my own. Thank you for your blog.
Sue
Hi, Debbie. I was diagnosed with Major depressive disorder 10 years ago, alcoholism 8 years ago (been sober since), then the major depressive disorder was changed to bipolar type II disorder 5 years ago, anxiety disorder with panic attacks began 3 years ago, and OCD, complex PTSD and BPD "traits" were added to the mix about a year and a half ago.
So, needless to say, I completely understand your frustration with not knowing what diagnosis is causing what symptoms. Symptoms overlapped too much impossible for me to weed them out definitively. My doctor and I are never sure what is hypomania verses anxiety/ocd behaviors for me. She tends to lean toward anxiety while I think its hypomania. The problem with this is that medication changes for one could exacerbate or excellerate the symptoms of the other. So, unfortunately it is often a trial and error game (a friend of mine calls it "medication roulette")
To get through these "try-this-then-wait-and-see" times, I typically resort to radical acceptance (of my present symptoms) while also employing the "this too will pass" ideology.
Hi, Debbie. I was diagnosed with Major depressive disorder 10 years ago, alcoholism 8 years ago (been sober since), then the major depressive disorder was changed to bipolar type II disorder 5 years ago, anxiety disorder with panic attacks began 3 years ago, and OCD, complex PTSD and BPD "traits" were added to the mix about a year and a half ago.
So, needless to say, I completely understand your frustration with not knowing what diagnosis is causing what symptoms. Symptoms overlapped too much impossible for me to weed them out definitively. My doctor and I are never sure what is hypomania verses anxiety/ocd behaviors for me. She tends to lean toward anxiety while I think its hypomania. The problem with this is that medication changes for one could exacerbate or excellerate the symptoms of the other. So, unfortunately it is often a trial and error game (a friend of mine calls it "medication roulette")
To get through these "try-this-then-wait-and-see" times, I typically resort to radical acceptance (of my present symptoms) while also employing the "this too will pass" ideology.