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Originally Posted by H3rmit
Wow, that psychiatrist had such a simplistic explanation. Reminds me of the diagnosis machine in Idiocracy. (That's not a compliment!)
Have you ever heard of Rat Park? Wikipedia has a big article on it, but the gist of this scientific research was that drugs are not that addicting if someone has a rich environment. This is the basis of my belief that the wrong environment causes many self-destructive behaviours/habits, and the right environment cures many, if we can stay in it enough. Think of how many of us feel in a natural place such as a forest or by a lake or river. It's healing. It's fitting. It feels sane. But stick me on a bus with people bumping me and I can get rabid pretty quick. Or a big party. I want to shut down, and only a supreme effort and years of training makes me able to cope better than that for a little while. I expect this relates to psychological problems well beyond addiction, as well.
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This makes a lot of sense. My psychiatrist explained me experience in this way.
Almost all my hospitalizations happened during my adolescence. I admit I was impressionable. I flirted with self harm on and off during that phase of my life. Guess where I learned how to do that. If you guessed the hospital, you are correct. I thought it was cool because everybody in the unit was doing it. I thought that is what I had to do to make friends.
I entered into the hospital with depression and adjustment problems and left with bigger problems. E.g., perpetual suicidal ideation due to SSRI reaction and episodic self injury.
I haven't self injured in over 15 years. The few scars I have remind me of my hospitalizations. Now, I am looking into getting some tattoos.