The Blockage of Borderlinism

While one hopes that properly medicated schizophrenic pts will become more neurotic (meaning at least aware – and accepting – of their unresolved conflicts as opposed to wholly mystified, magical thinking, truth-denying and/or delusional about them; see Jackson, below), many become borderline organized into two or more divided and mutually unaware “compartments” (see Kernberg, below).

One of the compartments is usually neurotic (and sometimes even pretty functional; there are fine examples here on this forum); the other is as mystified, magical thinking, distortion-asserting, truth-denying and/or delusional as the “integrated” schizophrenic.

The major problem I saw numerous times in “real” life, as well as among some here on the forum, is that “medication-facilitated” borderlinism tends to keep the pt locked in his or her delusions, positive and negative symptoms and self-destructive patterns.

It works this way: The neurotic but semi-conscious and teachable, borderline compartment is capable of learning new psychotherapeutic tricks. But the mystified but ego-assertive, magical thinking, truth-denying and/or delusional, “schizophrenic” (actually “psychotic”) “chamber” will soon launch an unconscious, but nevertheless energetic and often “successful” campaign against the neurotic compartment. It will hijack the very information that would help the pt dig out of his delusions to keep the pt stuck in them the very same way the pt’s parents did the same thing when the pt was a child or adolescent.

(We do tend to imitate our abusers, albeit without being aware of it; see Anna Freud and Van der Kolk below.)

Why does that happen? Because the ego-defending, magical thinking, truth-denying and/or delusional, “schizophrenic” (actually “psychotic”) compartment has a vested interest in keeping secrets from itself and in being RIGHT!.. in the very same way the pt’s parents had to be RIGHT! and kept unacceptable, “shaming” secrets from themselves. Jackson, Murray Bowen, Greg Bateson, Paul Watslawick, Virgnia Satir, Salvador Minuchin, Teddy Lidz, Ron Laing, Aaron Esterson and Jules Henry all saw – and reported on – this in the 1940s to 1970s.

But if one presents that FACT to sz pts (and borderlines), one will almost always see the pt’s “psychotic institution” – his or her chamber of ego-assertive, magical thinking, truth-denying delusionality – fight tooth and nail / hammer and claw to keep the neurotic compartment from seeing actual facts. Because the psychotic side believes those facts to be “intolerably shaming, frustrating and unacceptable.”

And he or she will march right back to his or her psychotic jail cell and complain some more about being there.

I did it for decades. I stopped 12 years ago. Anyone can. All they have to do is take AA’s Step One and change the word “alcohol” to “schizophrenia.” (See http://alcoholrehab.com/addiction-recovery/importance-of-step-1-in-alcoholics-anonymous/.)

Freud, A.: The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense, London: Hogarth Press and Institute of Psycho-Analysis, 1937.
Bateson, G., Jackson, D., Haley, J.; et al: Perceval’s Narrative: A Patient’s Account of his Psychosis, Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press, 1961.
Esterson, A.: The Leaves of Spring: Schizophrenia, Family and Sacrifice, London: Tavistock, 1972.
Henry, J.: Pathways to Madness, New York: Random House, 1965.
Jackson, D. (ed.): The Etiology of Schizophrenia: Genetics / Physiology / Psychology / Sociology, London: Basic Books, 1960.
Jackson, D. (ed.): Myths of Madness: New Facts for Old Fallacies, New York: Macmillan & Co., 1964.
Kernberg, O.: Severe Personality Disorders: Psychotherapeutic Strategies, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1977.
Laing, R. D.; Esterson, A.: Sanity, Madness and the Family, London: Tavistock, 1964.
Lidz, T.: The Origin and Treatment of Schizophrenic Disorders, New York: Basic Books, 1973.
Lidz, T.; Fleck, S., Cornelison, A.: Schizophrenia and the Family, 2nd Ed.; New York: International Universities Press, 1985.
Van der Kolk, B.: The Compulsion to Repeat the Trauma: Re-enactment, Re-victimization, and Masochism, in Psychiatric Clinics of North America, Vol. 12, No. 2, 1989.
Van der Kolk, B.; Hopper, J.; Osterman, J.: Exploring the Nature of Traumatic Memory: Combining Clinical Knowledge with Laboratory Methods; in Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, Vol. 4, No. 2, 2001.
Van der Kolk, B: Traumatic Stress: The Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body and Society, New York: Guilford Press, 1996 / 2007.
Van der Kolk, B: The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, New York: Viking Press, 2014.

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If I could turn the page
In time then I’d rearrange just a day or two
Close my, close my, close my eyes
But I couldn’t find a way
So I’ll settle for one day to believe in you
Tell me, tell me, tell me lies

Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(Tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies)
Oh, no, no you can’t disguise
(You can’t disguise, no you can’t disguise)
Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies

Although I’m not making plans
I hope that you understand there’s a reason why
Close your, close your, close your eyes
No more broken hearts
We’re better off apart let’s give it a try
Tell me, tell me, tell me lies

Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(Tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies)
Oh, no, no you can’t disguise
(You can’t disguise, no you can’t disguise)
Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies

If I could turn the page
In time then I’d rearrange just a day or two
(Close my, close my, close my eyes)
But I couldn’t find a way
So I’ll settle for one day to believe in you
(Tell me, tell me, tell me lies)

Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(Tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies)
Oh, no, no you can’t disguise
(You can’t disguise, no you can’t disguise)

Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(Tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies)
Oh, no, no you can’t disguise
(You can’t disguise, no you can’t disguise)

Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(Tell me, tell me lies)

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Are any of us ever going to climb out of the mire by waiting for “the miracle?”

Are any of us going to feel better if we eat the rotten “food” of common sense?

Are those of you who want to go on believing in The Pill ever going to get where I and others got to by refusing to drink the cult-ural cool aid?

(Half of you seem to sit at your computers or tablets or cell phones grousing about your meds, but won’t do shit to get off them or lower the doses.)

:mask:

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Where you’ve got to is frequenting a mental health forum regularly slagging off the mentally ill. Wow,what a big achievement !

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Who do I “slag” on? Those who are taking responsibility and doing something useful? Or those who sit and complain?

All I can say is, “Look to see how your beliefs – and behaviors – are working for you.”

Ahh so , now the ‘pretty functional’ are in the firing line. Note : Pretty Functional Good , Dysfunctional bad…

I have no doubt my beliefs and behaviours are far from perfect but at least I am not coming on a support forum constantly putting others down to massage my own ego.

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Also i dont want to keep repeating myself , you are bipolar , most of the people here , are schizophrenic. A different diagnostic category with a different prognosis…

And you know this- how ?

OP, I think you might be a little inconsiderate of the cognitive impairments and negative symptoms in most people with schizophrenia, that and the average schizophrenic IQ being 84 whilst you restate what you learned for your Psy. D…

I get what you say, but I am by a long shot not an average person even when schizo is dismantled. Im actually quite bright and I was a formidable athlete before my illness and changed sports after it and then succeeded in those sports. I am one of those type A athletic scholars.

The fact that even I find this original post to be a little too advanced for my taste (I come home from busting my ass/brain and dont want more academia, and I dont expect academia here) and also flawed in that the target audience cannot read or function at the level you write from, it’s just a little too much, dude.

I think you seem like you should resume work as a psychologist. VA’s need shrinks, and they’re tougher patients who could benefit from your criticisms (I am calling them criticisms, despite them being potentially constructive).

I don’t have a mood disorder, in fact I showed up as mood neutral when I was evaluated and diagnosed, according to the MMPI I was just a tiny bit on the depressed side. I do, however, have a high energy personality and some tendencies towards aggression and thrill seeking, also getting off on danger and sticky situations…yeah that is not normal AMONG people with scz.

I think you would do really well with veterans because they are used to taking orders and are expected to be competent, or else they wouldnt have completed training and survived combat.

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" A Blockage"

OF

“Borderlism”

Ok So Theres A Party You Go To … ,

and You have A Couple Drinks … ,

and You Feeling Pretty Tipsy … ,

Then Thus Beautiful Marilyn Monroe Walks Softly Towards You and Winks As She Gets Closer … ,

and You All Of A Sudden Say Without Thinking " wanna go for a fun drive! " ,

She Giggles and Says “YES!” … ,

But Fast Forward and Now You Are Pulled Over (by) Tha POLICE (!!!) ,

Tha Cop Says , “please Walk Down Tha Line , THA BORDERLINE THAT IS! If You Think You Can!!!” … ,

and Well You Smile At Your New Beautiful Date and Say , “Pffft I Got Thus !!!” … ,

So You Cross Your Feet and Walk Down Tha Borderline All Drunk and Shizz … ,

Tha Cop Spits On Tha Ground and Madly Says , “you are free to go.” … ,

and As You Sit Back In Your Awesome Cool Car As Marilyn Winks Again You Realize … ,

That “blockage” Was and Is A Lie … ,

and You Thot To Yourself Quietly … ,

" Now Its Marilyns Turn To Speak. "

(thee end)

and do not drink and drive . that is against tha law

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I don’t believe I wrote that. Do you know who did?

I don’t have to read minds. I can read words.

Yep ,
you did…how long do you think you can keep going? Are you just another flash in the pan ? Something’s gotta give you know…

At best the words can tell you that some people moan about meds. Leaping from there to the assumption that those same people are all doing nothing to have doses lowered/get off medication(if possible) is pure mind reading.

The (“treatment resistant”) people who push back the most are invariably not cognitively impaired. They may be paranoid, but that is a belief system, not a physiological malady.

Replicated research has shown since the '60s – as I am sure you are aware – that beliefs can be changed, or, even better, replaced with an orientation that rejects belief altogether in favor of far more functional empirical observation.

If you observe what I say and do carefully, you may be able to see that I never attack the sz per se, nor those who are willing to contemplate and consider. I simply try to raise the awareness of those who are on a fence between taking meaningful action on their own behalf… and rolling over and playing dead expecting some pill to fix them.

Did the latter work for you? Not according to what I have seen you write. You took action. And continue to do so.

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Who says? I mean, really. Who says?

…have no interest whatsoever in doing anything proven to actually reduce their symptom levels and help them reduce their med dosages. Others do.

Am I the one over-generalizing here, or is someone else? (Hint: Look in the mirror.)

Simplicity Wins Yo Yo … ,

Splice Your 600 Paragraphs Into A Simplistic Few Lynes and PERHAPS These Folks Would Try To Understand OR Naught Feel A Slight Sense Of Metaphorical Gutting Of Tha Belly … ,

Thus Angle You Completely Come From Spills out Tha Thot That You Wish You Could Live Your Life Without Sleeping So You Can Over-analyze Tha Pointlessness Of A Lie Jus To Pour It Down A “patients” Throat … ,

OR So It Seems … ,

I Might Be Wrong … .

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