Psychiatry, psychology, mental, mind matters

I hope you're feeling better now @marcom?

Sex, masturbation and intimacy came up in a CBT group I attended the other day, in the context of anxiety/depression conditions (rather than it as a standard expression of love between two people in a relationship). It was interesting (though not surprising) to hear how different everyone's experiences were...

Some very consciously use it as a self-soothing/relaxation tool, both on their own or with a partner.
Others have such a low libido they rarely even think about sex, let alone feel up for it.
A few actively try to shut it out of their minds as much as possible in response to past experiences, and one or two seemed to have developed something of an addiction to sex and/or masturbation - another way to get a quick buzz when they can't use other 'drugs'. Scary when they felt it was out of control.

So I suppose the thrust (sorry) of it is, only you know why you 'use' sex and therefore if it may do more harm than good.

No need to say btw. Seriously ;)

This is useful and I've had clients who've found it interesting...

http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/bpdtool.htm

I keep wanting to write 'This is what I learnt in school today' posts - I'm finding my art psychotherapy course that fascinating. :) It's really good to be in a class with such a diversity of students (not all younger than me thank God)

This diagram of unhelpful thinking styles isn't new to me but it's interesting to be reminded - I wonder how many of us use quite a few of these!

@bluebikerider - I can see how that could really help communication when a crisis crops up.

Probably something that could be used with schizophrenic patients too?

I've had quite a lot of measured (and audited) success with clients who suffer from paranoia and / or psychosis - by simply working collaboratively on anxiety (cognitive restructuring and behavioural activation finishing off with Padeskey's 'Personal Model of Resilience). Quite astounding really, that CBT has come so far from humble beginnings.

I was discussing the use mindfulness for pain relief just yesterday, with a friend who used it when he recently underwent brain surgery.

So I read this with interest: Managing pain with the power of the mind -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-ouch-30534749

I've had quite a lot of measured (and audited) success with clients who suffer from paranoia and / or psychosis - by simply working collaboratively on anxiety (cognitive restructuring and behavioural activation finishing off with Padeskey's 'Personal Model of Resilience). Quite astounding really, that CBT has come so far from humble beginnings.

It's this measurability that has surely resulted in its prolific use across so many different mental health issues, as well as its relative low cost, of course. I agree it can have marvellous results, when used correctly, with the right patients, but I do worry that it's become a bit of a default one-size-fits-all approach that isn't suitable for everyone, yet ousts some of the less measurable, lengthy or more costly therapies available, which can't be a good thing.

CBT is definitely NOT a 'one size fits all'. CBT is an umbrella term for infinite variations of the cognitive and behavioural models.

However, you're not alone in having that misconception.

Hmmm, if they work they can be measured. Beck set out to prove psychodynamic / psychoanalytical methods worked - he proved they didn't and the rest is history.

If we didn't use science to progress we'd still be using the Freudian methods. Which as we all know were hocum.

I worked for a long time in a therapeutic community which operated under strict psychodynamic principles.

Saw it work very well for a number of people who had not responded to other talking treatments. Expensive and not for everyone though.....

DBT for female PD's?

CBT is definitely NOT a 'one size fits all'. CBT is an umbrella term for infinite variations of the cognitive and behavioural models.

However, you're not alone in having that misconception.

I don't think it's my misconception (I realise there are dozens of CBT variations), it's my observation (and that of many service users and professionals I've met) of the way talking therapy options seem to have evolved over the past 15 years or so. Perhaps not an completely objective one though - I'm happy to be proved wrong :)

An esteemed pal of mine would say with heavy bass tones;

Leave alone, Miss Mouse, leave alone…. You did your era in there just get the study out and find a new form of self-entertainment.. for fuck sake leave alone.

Then me again:

are not things for you anyway.

Edit: Take this just as an opinion of a satisfied mentally ill ;)

Hmmm, if they work they can be measured.

This. Same goes for the quackery of NLP.

DBT? I worked for a year as a DBT therapist in a community team. I didn't get on with it but think that's more to do with my stuff (and a poor team) than the therapy.

Was left with the impression that it gave a comprehensive suite of skills to manage self harming behaviour but was less effective at addressing the underlying distress.
Totally bought into the benefits of mindfulness though.

One thing that became abundantly clear from attending DBT courses was that when it comes to evidence and research, team Linehan really have got their shit together.

I didn't 'get' Mindfullness at first and was sceptical when I did it on my masters. But having used it and now integrated it into my practice - the results I have seen are just astounding. Not the whole 8 week program more of the ethos and ideal of Mindfulness. ACT is another newbie I think will be integrated soon.

This is interesting.

Haha! Your esteemed pal would strongly disapprove of my current career plans!

If it's a career thing then he would recommend it, he made some decent earning with it, while learning from others. He may would also push me to follow you. Actually, if you need an assistant don't hesitate to call me for an interview.

NLP: Tried "Timeline therapy" found that approach was no goof for me.

I don't like the term, as you can't forcefully reprogram yourself, IMHO it's better to work with what you have, and ensure you find your positives in my experience, instead of only emphasize the negatives. Human system states are not reboot and rewrite.

Questioning everything (including self-blame and see MsMouse graph above) works better for me. Though that's NLP too these days it seems...it's become nearly everything.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/dec/20/anti-inflammatory-drugs-could-fight-depression-immune-disorders

In other news: Research starting on a link between inflammation/depression.

See also http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jan/04/depression-allergic-reaction-inflammation-immune-system

Slightly wary of the tendency to want to make depression a physiological thing, so that it's taken more seriously, when that should not (ideally) need to happen. But found the article pretty interesting. Stating the obvious, but there is probably a range of depressive disorders from the almost entirely physiologically based, to the almost entirely psychologically based, with most somewhere between.

A long time ago I said that the chemistry was the major responsible. Surely the chemistry can be produced by the brain and the brain is conditioned by the events, memories etc, but still. Mhhh.

Anyway, now we will assist the war between the careers…

Are we our brain chemistry/network (the physiological) us, or is our brain programming (the psychological)?

The answer is in the interaction, and since this can't be clearly defined or measured ATM (and perhaps never can) I take the view that what we really need is data on what to treat for who and leave the ideology out of it.

Easier said than done... :)

Edit: It's not that such questions don't matter in how individuals see themselves, and may be part of therapy...but a bucketload of issues have been caused by the hardliners on each end, and as it's such a difficult to answer question, sometimes to me it feels like wasting time that can be used for developing treatments... which have to come from both ends :)

So basically we are still far from knowing.