Q: What's your take on Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)? I ask because the newly committed H.R. 1005 would create a “BPD Awareness Month” (May, I believe) during which, apparently, the public would be educated about BPD by the federal government in a manner deemed fitting by Congress. As an acute propagandophobic, I'm already starting to break out in hives. Some straight talk from the IS could be just what the doctor ordered. - Fuzzy
A: Hi Fuzzy, I’m glad you are still speaking to me after my recent entries on Relational Frame Theory.
Given the timing with which this story presented itself, I suspected an April Fool’s Day joke. But by all appearances, BPD Awareness Month appears to be legit.
Here’s the problem, as I see it. According to the Federal Government, May is the month during which we are to become aware of better sleep, clean air, vision, lupus, mental health, physical fitness, teen pregnancy, food allergies, stuttering, recreational water illness, and 24 other health topics.
Do we really have room for one more awareness? Just how aware do these bureaucrats think we can be? We’re only human, for God’s sake! In the interest of simplicity, I am declaring the month of May to be Awareness Awareness month here at Ironshrink.com. That’s the kind of cut-to-the-chase thinking that we should be demanding from government.
Let us begin our Celebration of Awareness with a heaping helping of Borderline Personality Disorder. To answer your question Fuzzy, I believe BPD is a legitimate diagnosis. It is a miserable condition for those who suffer from it, and it can be just as miserable for those who must live with them. Chances are, you know somebody who fits the description. Happy BPD Awareness Month.
Q: What do you think about antidepressants? Should I take them? - MK
A:Last week, I noticed two mainstream articles about antidepressants. One told of veterinarians who use them, with some success, to treat self-harming animals. The other summarized a major study suggesting that antidepressants are no more effective than placebos. [Note to self: buy stock in placebos.]
The two studies seem to contradict each other. Animals are unsusceptible to placebo effects, so what gives? The answer lies in proper use. As long as our prescribing physicians are as diligent as the aforementioned veterinarians, antidepressants might help.
“Help” is the key word here. I’ve never seen antidepressants fix anything. Used wisely, they can provide a well-timed boost on the road to wellness. Used carelessly – as they often are – antidepressants can become part of the problem.
In Part One, we looked at what RFT is not, and we discussed one of the cognitive shortcuts that separates us from non-verbal critters. This time, we will look at one of the ways in which humans make sense of the world, according to RFT.
But that's not all! We’ll examine family relations and anxiety – not that there is any connection. Short version of this entry: language is a two-edged sword.
It took some planning, but I managed to visit China during the worst weather in decades. Amazingly, we avoided the travel riots, though I did see an airport scuffle. Angry cursing sounds the same in any language.
Nothing psychology related this week, just some eye candy from an awesome country. I learned that the universal language is not love, mathematics, or rock and roll. It’s funky snacks.
Next time, we’ll finish up relational frame theory. It will be painless, or I will refund your money. (I won’t refund time. That’s my policy.)
Ah, Denver. My home town. The land of wife-beatin’, minority-hatin’ rednecks. At least, that is the impression one might have after watching the diversity training video Laughing Matters – Think About It, written and produced by the City of Denver.
A city employee, who was offended by the tape, has charged the city government with stereotyping and racism. According to the employee, the video portrays white males as racist, sexist, buffoons. When the city ignored his complaint, he took his case to his local councilman. That’s when things got ugly.
Q: What is ironshrink’s take on relational frame theory? Is it controversial as voodoo? There are no chickens involved, are there? - sponge
A: This question needs context: One of my regular visitors, the intrepid Head Like A Sponge, is calling the bluff in my article on functional behavior analysis. It seems I offered (or threatened) to explain relational frame theory (RFT). No, Sponge, there are no chickens involved. There have been a few pigeons and rats, though – RFT has a lot of experimental data behind it.
RFT is a novel explanation of cognition and language. It influences the clinical work that I do with anxiety and depression and, like evolutionary psychology, it manages to inject a bit of hard science into psychology’s soft, squishy center.
Don’t let the high-tech name scare you. Despite its complexities, the theory is fairly simple at its core. Most of us have been trained to think of the mind’s inner workings in a certain way. RFT offers a counterintuitive and fascinating counterpoint.
This is my favorite study of 2007.Angela Duckworth and company have explored that which keeps us going in the face of long odds. Call it perseverance, determination, tenacity; they call it grit. I love that word, all full of optimism and spirit.
Have you ever wondered why some people seem to succeed without any special advantages? Ever notice that some people just refuse to let the world get them down? So did the authors. Their findings may not surprise you, but they might inspire you - like they inspired me - to keep on truckin’ toward those long-term goals. The Little Engine That Was Smart may have done well on his SATs, but The Little Engine That Could got the job done.
Q: I am in a heated discussion with coworkers, here is the question. The brain looks as though it is “squished” into the head, with wrinkles and such. Is the reason it is like that as opposed to smoothed out due to the fact that it can then hold more memory?
A:You are in a heated discussion over brain anatomy? You may be a bigger geek than I am. (I say that with admiration.)
The reason the brain looks wrinkled is that it soaks up the surrounding cerebrospinal fluid and gets all pruney, like fingers in a bathtub. I thought everyone knew that.
Of course, there are other theories involving far-out notions like “surface area” and “efficiency.” Some people think that folding the outer layers of the brain in on itself provides anatomical advantage. As devastating as it may be to the Prune Finger Theory, they may be onto something.
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