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General Parenting
What's at the root of bipolar "boredom"?
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<blockquote data-quote="seriously" data-source="post: 448084" data-attributes="member: 11920"><p>Does husband have any insight? Is he willing to see a therapist at all??? Or read anything about mental illness, if only in the name of educating himself about his children's issues?</p><p></p><p>I think there are a number of possible explanations for this behavior but the one that strikes me as the most likely is that he is depressed and seeking stimulation that is strong enough to overcome the "dry desert" of his depression. Thus gambling - which is interactive, rewarding and stimulating - but does not require the complex interactions that interaction with people demands. Gambling on slots is highly stimulating visually (something it sounds like he craves), keeps his attention but in a limited and predictable way, the degree of stimulation is under his control and, in the casino setting, he can bridge that to superficial positive interactions with other people in the casino like the waiters and other players.</p><p></p><p>The manipulative behavior suggests a big lack of insight on his part that might be improved by cognitive therapy.</p><p></p><p>And I do NOT understand the psychiatrist not being honest with your husband about the psychiatrist's diagnosis. What is the possible point of that? If you have diabetes but don't like the idea, should your doctor tell you, well you just have hyperglycemia and then fail to treat the diabetes directly? Not a perfect analogy but I really don't get that.</p><p></p><p>How can your husband possibly ever come to grips with the diagnosis if he is never told that is the most likely explanation for his sx??</p><p></p><p>I recall quite clearly how much I resisted a BiPolar (BP) diagnosis after 30 years of being told I was "just depressed" but no depression treatment ever worked or made me worse.</p><p></p><p>It took me a couple of years and the development of really severe symptoms before I accepted that as the correct diagnosis.</p><p></p><p>But if no one had ever said - hey, you're bipolar because of this, this, this, etc. I would never have even started the process of acceptance of the diagnosis and the need for treatment.</p><p></p><p>It's great that the seizure treatment has helped. I sure hope that holds his bipolar sx in check. For all your sakes.</p><p></p><p>Sorry - I'm struggling right now and just really, really don't get why any psychiatrist who was pretty darn certain of a BiPolar (BP) diagnosis wouldn't address that with the patient directly and firmly.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="seriously, post: 448084, member: 11920"] Does husband have any insight? Is he willing to see a therapist at all??? Or read anything about mental illness, if only in the name of educating himself about his children's issues? I think there are a number of possible explanations for this behavior but the one that strikes me as the most likely is that he is depressed and seeking stimulation that is strong enough to overcome the "dry desert" of his depression. Thus gambling - which is interactive, rewarding and stimulating - but does not require the complex interactions that interaction with people demands. Gambling on slots is highly stimulating visually (something it sounds like he craves), keeps his attention but in a limited and predictable way, the degree of stimulation is under his control and, in the casino setting, he can bridge that to superficial positive interactions with other people in the casino like the waiters and other players. The manipulative behavior suggests a big lack of insight on his part that might be improved by cognitive therapy. And I do NOT understand the psychiatrist not being honest with your husband about the psychiatrist's diagnosis. What is the possible point of that? If you have diabetes but don't like the idea, should your doctor tell you, well you just have hyperglycemia and then fail to treat the diabetes directly? Not a perfect analogy but I really don't get that. How can your husband possibly ever come to grips with the diagnosis if he is never told that is the most likely explanation for his sx?? I recall quite clearly how much I resisted a BiPolar (BP) diagnosis after 30 years of being told I was "just depressed" but no depression treatment ever worked or made me worse. It took me a couple of years and the development of really severe symptoms before I accepted that as the correct diagnosis. But if no one had ever said - hey, you're bipolar because of this, this, this, etc. I would never have even started the process of acceptance of the diagnosis and the need for treatment. It's great that the seizure treatment has helped. I sure hope that holds his bipolar sx in check. For all your sakes. Sorry - I'm struggling right now and just really, really don't get why any psychiatrist who was pretty darn certain of a BiPolar (BP) diagnosis wouldn't address that with the patient directly and firmly. [/QUOTE]
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What's at the root of bipolar "boredom"?
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