Thursday, June 21, 2007

THERE'S HOPE

I met with the head of the Behavioral Health Department here at the post hospital. He was awesome. He didn't change my medication... yet. He is going to be taking me off of Klonopin eventually but he didn't take away what I have. The medication is addicting. I'm not addicted yet.. keyword: YET. He gave me a new medication called Seroquel. It is in a SUPER small dose. He said it has the anti-anxiety effect I need, w/out the addicting quality. This is a GOOD thing. What I liked about him the most was that he focused more on my emotional well-being and not my medication. Here are some of the major points of the appointment:

* I am NOT bi-polar.

* I am diagnosed as having a Borderline Personality. This condition is more a result of things that happened to me as a child as opposed to a biological thing. That was a big relief to me for some reason.

* Dr. S is funny and honest. He is down-to-Earth and caring.

* My cutting, bulimia and other acting out (something I haven't posted about here because I refuse to be judged) are all "normal" for my condition. This is not an excuse, he said, but it is "normal." He said I need to move past the guilt and move towards getting better.

* The course of treatment my prior therapist was using was not what is good for someone with Borderline Personality. He said that Cognitive Behavior Therapy is not effective for Borderline people. I felt much better about that.

* The BEST thing: I CAN AND WILL GET BETTER. It's a long, hard road, but it does end.

I'll see him once a month. He gave me his direct line and email (he does that for everyone). He said if I'm in crisis, he IS available. I am very grateful to Dr. Baruti for getting me the help I need.

3 comments:

Carie said...

I am so happy for you :) I love how positive you sound now :) I am so glad he is better than the other people you have seen and that he listens to what you say...i am glad this is a positive step for you...I have yet to find a good doc, but I am still looking

Susan Davis said...

Awesome, Lin. Praise God for your good news!!\

Mimi said...

Wonderful news. Sounds like you finally have a good doc. It takes digging and it is a long road. My son is on Seroquel, too. It seems to help, when he takes it. He has to be hounded about it.
Anyway, good luck!