“MHPPDs” and medication withdrawal
thememoryartist recently made an excellent post, A new proposal for the DSM, which “outlines and categorizes the features of Mental Health Professional Personality Disorders.” It’s funny because it’s true. Which also, of course, makes it sad. I’ve seen plenty of mental health professionals whose behaviours and attitudes are outlined very well by those criteria.
In a comment, Gianna mentioned that the post might be educational for mental health professionals. I’ve met some MHPs who would appreciate it very much… but they’re not the ones who tend to exhibit any of the listed behaviours. I think the ones who actually exhibit the “symptoms” would see that piece of writing as an example of a patient being narcissistic and overly hostile, and would never recognize themselves in the criteria.
There are also a lot of interesting comments on this post about PTSD misdiagnosed as BPD.
I am doing okay physically with the Zoloft and Epival withdrawal. I didn’t even have any of the brief dizzy spells yesterday. I was, however, staring at a word on a computer screen when I saw it suddenly jump several inches to the left, even though this did not really happen. I am hoping that this is just a regular hazard of the twenty-first century, as opposed to a withdrawal thing.
As I mentioned in a comment on my last post, medication withdrawal has made me kind of stupid lately, though. I can’t remember anything, my attention span is even worse than usual, and… um, I already forgot what I was going to write in the last part of this sentence. Oh, yeah, I’m constantly almost late for stuff. Since none of this has been interfering with my work performance, it’s not really all that important. It just bugs me.
Tomorrow I get to see my GP and I hope I’ll get my prescriptions. I have to pay forty freaking dollars for the cab ride there and back, because there’s a shortage of family doctors here, no bus service to the neighbouring town where my doctor is, and I don’t have a car.
May 31st, 2007 at 3:54 am
Hey Polly,
When I withdrew from Zoloft, I used to feel like my brain was jumping around in my head. Have you had that feeling ? It was weird and very unpleasant.I think I’ve heard someone refer to it a brain-zaps.
May 31st, 2007 at 1:23 pm
I’ve heard that it’s a common side effect of Zoloft withdrawal, but I’ve never experienced it myself. I’ve been lucky enough to never have had any really bad physical side effects from medication withdrawal, except for one time when I was on 200 mg of Zoloft and stopped taking it. Then I felt like I had a bad flu for weeks, although I did not. I went off other meds at the same time, but I’m pretty sure it was the Zoloft withdrawal in particular that was causing the problem.
May 31st, 2007 at 2:10 pm
It probably was the Zoloft withdrawal. I was on 200 mg back when I had that happen, years ago. It would start within a day of trying to go off it. Taking another SSRI stopped it though.
“I think the ones who actually exhibit the “symptoms” would see that piece of writing as an example of a patient being narcissistic and overly hostile, and would never recognize themselves in the criteria.”
Hmmm. I don’t know if it’s narcissistic. Maybe antisocial and histrionic with a touch of borderline….
May 31st, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Believing you’re not stupid and daring to have an opinion about something, especially one that conflicts with the MHP’s opinion, can get you labelled narcissistic. But yeah, you’re right about the others, as well. You’d probably get labelled with the entire Cluster B package.
Mmm. Nut clusters. I want chocolate. Wow, I just remembered that I have a Mars bar. I am so happy.
May 31st, 2007 at 5:38 pm
“Believing you’re not stupid and daring to have an opinion about something, especially one that conflicts with the MHP’s opinion, can get you labelled narcissistic. ”
Ohhhh yeahhh! You’re right about that one. Well, sign me up for that too then.
Could you e-mail me half of your Mars bar?
May 31st, 2007 at 11:24 pm
I actually only ate half of the Mars bar before I left (it was one of those big ones), but then when I got back I discovered that my boyfriend had eaten the other half. I can’t begrudge him it, though. He was the one who bought it. Sorry about that. I’m not sure how well it would have travelled by email, anyway.