Hi all

*Sorry this is a little long but i'll try and be brief*

I came off the phone a little while ago with my MHN whom i called regarding a big professionals meeting ive got on the 20th. I wanted to know if she could tell me roughly what to expect in terms of what treatment options they may be able to offer me.

Apparently, if after attending this meeting, the PN specialist decided he did want to refer me for a DBT assessment - it would take a minimum of 5 weeks for this to take place.

- I am ok with this, after all ive waited a year to get this far with my CMHT but then she also added that -

The assessment would take place over a period of 10 sessions after which it would then be decided whether or not i should be admitted onto the programme.

WHAT??

So i could spend a minimum of 15 weeks trying to access treatment which i could still be refused?



Don't misunderstand me, im happy to even be given the chance of treatment and im lucky that after all my fighting ive got this far but it just seems like a lot of hoops to jump through for something which might then not work out...i guess i can only go ahead with it and see how things go but im scared of what will happen if im not approved for treatment - i desperately need DBT (ive been struggling with overwhelming BPD symptoms for the last 5 years) and as far as im aware theres no other treatment options available for me that my team could refer me for.

Im all for self help but theres only so many books you can read and workborks you can do, sometimes the professionals need to be called in...

I don't know...i just feel uneasy about the whole thing. Has anyone been in a similar situation or have any practical advice about what i should do? Do you think that if their likely to assess then they will probably give me the treatment? (after all why waste all that money assessing me?)

Thanks in advance.

Originally Posted by bb2023

Hi all

*Sorry this is a little long but i'll try and be brief*

I came off the phone a little while ago with my MHN whom i called regarding a big professionals meeting ive got on the 20th. I wanted to know if she could tell me roughly what to expect in terms of what treatment options they may be able to offer me.

Apparently, if after attending this meeting, the PN specialist decided he did want to refer me for a DBT assessment - it would take a minimum of 5 weeks for this to take place.

- I am ok with this, after all ive waited a year to get this far with my CMHT but then she also added that -

The assessment would take place over a period of 10 sessions after which it would then be decided whether or not i should be admitted onto the programme.

WHAT??

So i could spend a minimum of 15 weeks trying to access treatment which i could still be refused?



Don't misunderstand me, im happy to even be given the chance of treatment and im lucky that after all my fighting ive got this far but it just seems like a lot of hoops to jump through for something which might then not work out...i guess i can only go ahead with it and see how things go but im scared of what will happen if im not approved for treatment - i desperately need DBT (ive been struggling with overwhelming BPD symptoms for the last 5 years) and as far as im aware theres no other treatment options available for me that my team could refer me for.

Im all for self help but theres only so many books you can read and workborks you can do, sometimes the professionals need to be called in...

I don't know...i just feel uneasy about the whole thing. Has anyone been in a similar situation or have any practical advice about what i should do? Do you think that if their likely to assess then they will probably give me the treatment? (after all why waste all that money assessing me?)

Thanks in advance.

I think it's a great opportunity. I would LOVE to get into a DBT group. OK, approach it as a job interview. You might have to kiss some butt. Tell the therapists/psychiatrist/assessors how important this group is for your recovery, how dedicated you are to getting better (you get the idea.)

DBT groups work on skill improvement and someone who is too unbalanced needs more supportive therapy. If a patient comes in who is always in crisis then the whole group won't be able to do the skills training module.

So, if you appear all "woohoo I'm gonna do some mindfulness skills today" you will be seen as a good fit. LOL At least that is what I'm guessing they're looking for. Remember they want to publish the results on how "awesome" their DBT group worked.

Originally Posted by Stardustedforever

I think it's a great opportunity. I would LOVE to get into a DBT group. OK, approach it as a job interview. You might have to kiss some butt. Tell the therapists/psychiatrist/assessors how important this group is for your recovery, how dedicated you are to getting better (you get the idea.)

DBT groups work on skill improvement and someone who is too unbalanced needs more supportive therapy. If a patient comes in who is always in crisis then the whole group won't be able to do the skills training module.

So, if you appear all "woohoo I'm gonna do some mindfulness skills today" you will be seen as a good fit. LOL At least that is what I'm guessing they're looking for. Remember they want to publish the results on how "awesome" their DBT group worked.

This is some really awesome advice, thanks so much stardustedforever *BIG BIG HUG!*

[summeryoga]

Take the DBT no matter how long you have to wait for it. Do whatever you need to to get healthy and learn new skills ... including waiting 15 weeks or longer.

when i moved here the crisis team (after about 5 trips to ED in 3-4weeks) said that they really wanted me to do DBT. they told me i'd be waiting 6+ months for an assessment then another 3+ months until i could actually start.

my family decided that i had to do the DBT and that i would just have to wait. so i started seeing a private psych while i was waiting.

i kept ending up in ED once or twice a week.

the dr from the crisis team who i would see when i went to ED or into the ward decided that i could wait the 9 or so months to start the DBT. I'm not sure how he did it but after he told me that, it was a week later that i had the assessment (it was one 4hour session) and then maybe 2-3 weeks later that i started DBT. so in the end what would have been a 9 month wait was only about a 2 or 3 month wait.

so i think that you do need to show them how willing you are to do the DBT but i think that from my experience the more stable you are the less likely you are to get in, and i'm not saying lie i'm just saying don't hold back telling them how much you are struggling.

i know that this contradicts what Stardustedforever said.. so i'm not trying to say that Stardustedforever is wrong, or that you shouldn't listen to them. I'm just sharing my experience with you.

as for how helpful DBT is, i'm not finding it helpful, but i keep being told that it takes about 4months until you start to see how helpful it is, i think i'm about 3-4months in.

good luck.

[nicoleb2]

It's dbt, so it's designed for those of us with bpd, unfortunately, a big stereotype is that everyone with bpd is manipulative, so they are going to see what they want to, and may or may not be able to tell if you are faking it.
Your best bet is going to be to be honest with them

I agree with you Quiet, she can't appear "too" stable or why would she need it. But if she seems too unstable she won't be able to do the skills training. Here is an article that might be helpful:

http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/102708p22.shtml

Here is a paragraph from the above article.

"DBT’s structured approach may be beneficial for therapists, but that structure could be too demanding for all but the highest functioning patients with borderline personality disorder, says Joel Kanter, MSW, LCSW, who is in private practice in Silver Spring, Md. Attending multiple therapeutic sessions each week might be difficult, if not impossible, for many clients with borderline symptoms such as mood swings and unstable personal relationships."

(BTW: I was a social worker, now I answer phones.)

Thanks for all the replies guys

I agree that i need to be as honest as i can in terms of my difficulties but im also aware that it will be a demanding programme and that they need to see im capable of commiting to a programme. When my MHN called again she said that the meeting will be about seeing whether 'im ready' for the treatment which i took to mean am i in the right place to accept i need help and therefore receive it. Anyway the appointments in just over a weeks time so ill keep you all posted Thanks again for all the replys, stardusted especially - that link was great

Originally Posted by bb2023

Thanks for all the replies guys

I agree that i need to be as honest as i can in terms of my difficulties but im also aware that it will be a demanding programme and that they need to see im capable of commiting to a programme. When my MHN called again she said that the meeting will be about seeing whether 'im ready' for the treatment which i took to mean am i in the right place to accept i need help and therefore receive it. Anyway the appointments in just over a weeks time so ill keep you all posted Thanks again for all the replys, stardusted especially - that link was great

I'm so excited for you. The thing about BPD is that it's treatable. The journey will be terrifying but well worth it. Now I need to get my butt in gear and get into a group.

Originally Posted by Stardustedforever

I'm so excited for you. The thing about BPD is that it's treatable. The journey will be terrifying but well worth it. Now I need to get my butt in gear and get into a group.

I just hope that i get accepted onto it...if not then im going to appeal. My behaviour is just out of control - i got arrested last year because of my stupid recklessness. Enough is enough.

Heres hoping we both get the help we need

Originally Posted by bb2023

I just hope that i get accepted onto it...if not then im going to appeal. My behaviour is just out of control - i got arrested last year because of my stupid recklessness. Enough is enough.

Heres hoping we both get the help we need

I think you will get accepted. You sound like you are ready to work for recovery since DBT isn't just hand-holding supportive validation.

Actually, I like hand-holding supportive validation

But in order to get better and move forward skills training is the way to go. You'll learn how to interact internally and externally in a more healthy way and you might even get a chance to enjoy your life.

God I need to get into treatment. Im sooooo f&cked up.

I certainly want the chance to be able to relate to people better...improved relationships, better distress tolerance and less SI dependency is what im hoping for. Haha ive never had any hand-holding supportive validation. People are usually always punitive in their treatment towards me. Ive always felt as though theres a glass barrier between other people and myself. In hospital once one of the nurses actually refused to talk to me he decided i was that much of an attention seeker/manipulator. Sometimes i feel like writing 'BPD' on my forehead so that people know beforehand not to bother. Its not that i don't think im worth knowing im just tired of people getting the wrong idea and not even giving me a chance...

Originally Posted by bb2023

I certainly want the chance to be able to relate to people better...improved relationships, better distress tolerance and less SI dependency is what im hoping for. Haha ive never had any hand-holding supportive validation. People are usually always punitive in their treatment towards me. Ive always felt as though theres a glass barrier between other people and myself. In hospital once one of the nurses actually refused to talk to me he decided i was that much of an attention seeker/manipulator. Sometimes i feel like writing 'BPD' on my forehead so that people know beforehand not to bother. Its not that i don't think im worth knowing im just tired of people getting the wrong idea and not even giving me a chance...

Sometimes I feel I have BPD written on my forehead. People know I'm different. They may not be able to put their finger on it but I can sense they know I'm not like them. Maybe BPD isn't a disorder but a new version of the human race?

Originally Posted by Stardustedforever

Sometimes I feel I have BPD written on my forehead. People know I'm different. They may not be able to put their finger on it but I can sense they know I'm not like them. Maybe BPD isn't a disorder but a new version of the human race?

Haha! Thats what im going to tell people from now on...im simply a genetically superior human being. To think i was worried about everyone else and their monkey brains...

Originally Posted by bb2023

Haha! Thats what im going to tell people from now on...im simply a genetically superior human being. To think i was worried about everyone else and their monkey brains...

Just a thought...

If we aren't suppose to think in terms of good and bad, black and white then how does one explain all of this God Vs. Satan business?

If we are to become "normal" than wouldn't we think of God as not all good and Satan as not all bad?

Just a thought.

Originally Posted by Stardustedforever

Just a thought...

If we aren't suppose to think in terms of good and bad, black and white then how does one explain all of this God Vs. Satan business?

If we are to become "normal" than wouldn't we think of God as not all good and Satan as not all bad?

Just a thought.

Im an atheist

Originally Posted by bb2023

Im an atheist

So is God.