The Mostly-Bad Mother
Thoughts about preserving the “good” bits of the mostly-bad mother.
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Depression and Bipolar Disorder
Defense Mechanisms V: Idealization
Idealization reflects a drive to escape from an internal experience felt to be unbearable and to connect with something perfect. This defense mechanism may take aim at another person, an actual experience or one’s own self.
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Narcissistic Rage and the Sense of Entitlement
A sense of entitlement, along with the expectation that life should be much easier and less frustrating than it actually is, often lies behind the expression of narcissistic rage, a feature of Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder and other superficially discrete categories of diagnosis.
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The Rise of Bipolar Disorder Symptoms and Treatment
Why has Bipolar Disorder, once a fairly rare phenomenon, become so pervasive in our society? This article looks at four influencing factors: (1) improved diagnosis; (2) an enlargement of our conception of the illness; (3) a “vogue” for the label that has led to over-diagnosis; and (4) illicit drug-use and psychiatric medications that have actually increased the incidence of Bipolar Disorder.
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“Psychiatric Meds Are Like Insulin for Diabetes” (Big Lie #3)
Contrary to what we have been led to believe, psychiatric medications do not rectify a chemical imbalance in your brain but instead create one; the body then adapts to this imbalance, and when drug use is discontinued, the physical response is akin to withdrawal symptoms.
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“Psychiatric Medications Have Led to Dramatic Improvements in Mental Health Outcomes” (Big Lie No. 2)
In the long-term, patients who have never been exposed to psychiatric medication have a much better prognosis than those who were placed on drugs.
“You Have a Chemical Imbalance in Your Brain” (Big Lie No. 1)
There is absolutely no scientific evidence to support the theory that mental illness is a result of an imbalance in brain chemistry.
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Different Types of Depression
A discussion of three underlying dynamics in clinical depression: unconscious rage, a drastically fragmented self and toxic levels of shame.
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Merger Fantasies in Psychotherapy
Bipolar and borderline clients who feel hopeless about their capacity for meaningful change often idealize their therapists and unconsciously try to merge with them; this fantasy of merger represents an escape from the damaged self into an alternative ideal self embodied by the therapist, a sort of personal growth by annexation.
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Psychotherapy Issues Arising from Bipolar Disorder Symptoms
In bipolar disorder, there’s an underlying fear that the internal damage is so pervasive it’s hopeless to do anything realistic to repair or improve it, leading to a search for magical solutions instead. This article illustrates these dynamics with a case study and discusses psychotherapy for those who suffer from bipolar disorder.
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