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In my clinical experience, even low dose lamotrigine (25-50mg) seems to be helpful for a lot of people with impulsive aggression or intense emotional reactivity.

That said, even if you aren't formally engaging in psychotherapy, I think it's extremely important that you engage in some kind of daily practice of breathing and emotional acceptance. Listening to Tara Brach's podcast and/or going through a DBT workbook can be very helpful.

> If the goal is to build a set of skills, where's the text that talks about what specific skills BPDs lack, why they lack them (e.g. what were the exact developmental processes that were interrupted), how to build them, and what are common missteps that occur while building them? Can you provide a single reference that goes into that level of detail?

Sure. https://www.amazon.com/DBT%C2%AE-Skills-Training-Manual-Second/dp/1462516998

https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0091906814 this would be a good start

Keep up with the news Read about new subjects Learn how to ask open questions Learn to listen Look into basic body language Exercise often to help feel confident Practice!

I have to be able to communicate well for my job so I had no choice in the matter. Perhaps you could volunteer when lockdown settles?

Theres a psychosocial hierarchy when guys talk to girls for example. They think they're this perfect entity and get nervous. That may happen in a way so the more time you spend with adults the more normal they'll seem

NAD: That sounds like OCD. Those would be intrusive thoughts. Even as an adult my intrusive thoughts disgust me and cause me distress sometimes. I can’t imagine having that as a child when you still see the world very black and white. I have no experience with this, but this book on Amazon looks promising for at least some at home help. I’d definitely have a therapist who specializes in adolescent behavioral health also help her.

Book:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/162625978X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_mjFcFb4YZGYAG

Hey sorry you had that extremely invalidating experience. I would try to look for another provider. What he says and how he characterizes bipolar disorder doesn’t make sense, and you should seek out someone else. Bipolar disorder discussion amongst health care professionals can sometimes feel like discussing politics or religion because clinicians internally can have such innate views about bipolar disorder where evidence can get ignored. Some doctors I work with think it’s wholly overdiagnosed while others think it’s under-diagnosed, and each side seems to feel strongly about their convictions. Some clinicians are thankfully in the middle, but your provider sounds like they’re not.

Let me recommend this book written for patients by 2 bipolar experts that empowers and educates bipolar patients to seek good treatment (whether in primary care setting or with mental health professionals). It’s especially useful for patients that fall on the lower spectrum of bipolar 2 disorder where they’ve had soft features and no florid mania. Even has prepared responses for communicating with your general physician to your appointment go better. Good luck.

https://www.amazon.com/Bipolar-Not-Much-Understanding-Depression/dp/0393711749/ref=nodl_?dplnkId=24a6d624-dd13-4b6b-91c5-e532ed23e6d9

Chris Aiken, MD’s book, Bipolar Not So Much I believe has a chapter on this. The book was written for patients, and I always highly suggest it.

https://www.amazon.com/Bipolar-Not-Much-Understanding-Depression/dp/0393711749/ref=nodl_?dplnkId=95de7fab-5559-4cb6-8ef3-608b5b0322a4

Reading over your description, I agree with those who have posted already.

Gotta put in another plug for exercise. Yes it sucks to get started, but it really can make a huge huge difference for how anxious you are feeling and for trying to get to sleep at night. It doesn't have to be a lot, - just going for a 20 minute jog while listening to some good music 3X a week.

Also: sleep hygiene. Are you using the computer late at night? Try using a program like flux or windows 10 "night light" feature to tune out the blue light in the evening time.

https://justgetflux.com/

Are you in therapy? Hopefully, you have an outpatient prescriber? Check out this book that is like a guidebook for living with the disorder. https://www.amazon.com/Managing-Bipolar-Disorder-Cognitive-Treatments/dp/0195313372

I'm afraid there are no tips to be had here other than stick with the medication regimen that you and your team agree on that works to keep you stable, communicate with your team if you or loved ones observe signs that you are starting to get more "up" (talk with your treatment team and loved ones in advance about what these signs are), work with your therapist on tracking moods, getting regular and sufficient sleep and managing stress. Ask your therapist if this workbook might be appropriate. https://www.amazon.com/Managing-Bipolar-Disorder-Treatments-Cognitive-behavioural-ebook/dp/B001RKFU0W/ref=tmm\_kin\_swatch\_0?\_encoding=UTF8&qid=1661306996&sr=1-4

My supervising physician likes to suggest acetyl-l-cartinine as adjunctive agent for energy + focus. This is his phrase he uses to educate patients:

Please feel free to use acetyl-l-carnitine 1000mg in AM for one week, then add early afternoon dose (twice daily for depression). ((can help with cognition after 1-2 months)

https://www.amazon.com/Doctors-Best-Acetyl-L-Carnitine-Biosint-Carnitines/dp/B000NRXO8A/

As always - we can't know if it would be appropriate in your specific case and you should check in with your prescriber if you decide to give it a try.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1572245131/ref=as_li_ss_tl?language=en_US&ie=UTF8&linkCode=gs2&linkId=fa4cb4e97efc9653f8aedb00f41da5f4&tag=rajuakondouk-21#

This in a wonderful DBT workbook. I highly encourage you to give it a shot. I know you said therapy isn't available to you

Hi! How did you manage to make this post without a flair? Look what I get when I try to make a post: https://snipboard.io/Xvl4BE.jpg

Doesn't it look like that at your end? I messaged the mods yesterday but still no response, so tryin to figure out..

You can do a MOOC or just check the syllabus for a book list https://www.mooc-list.com/tags/psychiatry or google phrases like “psychiatry MOOC” and “intro to psychiatry”, ask the librarian at your public library, look through https://www.psychiatry.org/, ask your GP and psychiatrist, or even your therapist if you’re more interested in the psychology part than the medicine part.

The starting point would really depend on what your educational background is and what you want to focus on learning, so it’s too broad of a question to just suggest books. Are you trying to decide whether to pursue this as a career? Want to understand yourself better? Want to understand loved ones or people you struggle with? Want strategies for changing the behavior or yourself or others? Want to know what meds you’re getting, why, and how they work? Etc.

That's not rambling at all. I completely understand where you are coming from. Being neglected creates its own trauma which must be worked through, not unlike emotional and sexual abuse. Children need to know that they are safe, and they feel safe when they can share an emotional connection with people who they feel will protect them. For a child, care and attention from a calm adult equates to safety. When a child grows up with one parent, they aren't necessarily damaged goods as long as the other parent can love and care for the child. But if no one shows interest in the child, their heart withers, and they feel as though their life has no inherent worth. This I believe is why poor coping behavior begins around the teenage years.

All that being said, a parent cannot be taught how to care for a child any more than someone can be taught to love someone they have no interest in. In both cases the person must be inspired and their heart must be activated to seek.

One thing I think is important - who a child's parents are or how they behaved does not determine the child's future. In all cases, it is our action from this moment and on into the future that determines what kind of person we will become.

I'll mention a book that I think is essential for anyone dealing with childhood trauma. Carefrontation by Dr. Arlene Drake. All trauma can be cured when properly identified and addressed. https://www.amazon.com/Carefrontation-Breaking-Free-Childhood-Trauma/dp/194287281X

Pharmacist here: Absolutely there is a difference between brand and generic, and between generic manufacturers. Some generics are rebranded brand-name tablets/capsules.

If you're really nice to your local pharmacist, she might clue you in to the better ones and place special orders requiring overrides to obtain them for you. (If your insurance will allow the better ones since they’re more expensive: example, Aurobindo venlafaxine ER 150mg capsule #30 was $9.00 cash price, Teva's was >$300.)

If you want the exposé: Bottle of Lies by Katherine Eban

You will never think of the FDA the same way again.

https://www.amazon.com/Bottle-Lies-Inside-Story-Generic/dp/0062338781/ref=nodl_#

Not a psychiatrist.

I would not try to fix my roommate. I would just be a friend to her and have good boundaries.

A good book is Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg.

Absolutely! I have two resources that I absolutely love.

One is the Canadian-Based Brain and Cognition Discovery Foundation . They do once a year talks on these illnesses, focusing on novel treatment approaches.

And the other is the book The New Mind Body Science of Depression

I'm also fascinated by the field of Nootropics (Especially ones that are very safe / benign)

I've researched the best book on OCD to help yourself and I concluded that this is one of the best based on experts opinion: https://www.amazon.co.uk/OCD-Workbook-Obsessive-Compulsive-Harbinger-Self-Help/dp/1572249218

You can do self guided therapy to treat OCD with or without medicine from your family physician

I'm not a psychiatrist, but a highly anxious person who takes supplements. I personally find L-theanine surprisingly effective. I also found this stuff to be good, but that might just be because of the L-Theanine.

Aside from that, I've never found any other supplements to work. I'd recommend taking Vitamin D for general health reasons, but I wouldn't expect it to do anything for anxiety. I vaguely recall a small number of studies have been done regarding the other supplements you've listed, with some coming out favorable, but no where near enough to have any conclusive evidence one way or the other-- in other words, the jury's still out (as far as I'm aware).

Same with L-Theanine, too, but it does seem to be one of the supplements with more favorable evidence and in general it has just about no potential for bad side effects, so you can't really go wrong.

I was diagnosed as autistic at around 12, and the bpd diagnosis wasn’t made until I was 22. r/BPD would be a good place for her to start I think, it’s usually a pretty welcoming and supportive place. You may want to keep an eye out and make sure she knows to avoid anything that may be triggering for her, I haven’t seen too many posts on r/BPD that would be problematic, but I know sometimes on other subs like r/depression or r/CPTSD people have made posts about suicide/self harm or traumatic events that could be stressful to read.

Have you ever heard of Marsha Linehan? She created a workbook that is dedicated to helping people with BPD (and other mental illnesses) learn concepts and techniques to help safely cope when they are in distress. If you are not satisfied with her psych doctor’s efforts, it could be a helpful tool for you to use and learn from at home until she is getting the help she needs. I just did a quick search and found it on amazon, and the overview will give you a much better idea of whether it could be a useful resource. This is the one i found, there are also many other variations of the workbook’s material that could be more appropriate for someone her age.

Honesty and openness. If something is not working tell your doctor.

If you don't like a suggested therapy, say so. Docs in Canada have many patients, therefore my theory is to try and help them with diagnoses in any way possible. For example, I use an app called daylio to log my daily progress. It's super easy to use and helps you with recollections of the past feelings and thoughts.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.daylio

If you don't want to spend the money on the app, checkout Google surveys. A way to rack up 3$. Might take a few months though.

They deal with the public so they have likely seen and heard many things. Keep that in mind. If any questions I'd be happy to try and help. Pm me.

Good luck

I ordered this to try. I couldn't bring myself to do a dollar a pill! haha That one is 23 cents a pill, Pro EPA is more expensive but still only 37 cents a pill on US Amazon.com. The one I ordered supposedly contains 0% DHA according to an answer in the questions section, the Pro EPA has 200 mg DHA so maybe it will work better for me at avoiding the bad side effects I usually get from fish oil. If this helps maybe I could get Vascepa prescribed and get insurance to cover the cost instead, if it's off-label or whatever.

Okay that's completely different... yes, your psychiatrist needs to know. It's possible your family would find out (maybe?) if you're a minor, but if not, I don't think anyone can/would find out. HIPAA is pretty strict about what's disclosed. When I did inpatient, they weren't allowed to tell anyone who wasn't on a list I had made that I was even there. If someone called and knew I was there but they weren't on the list, they'd just tell them "We don't have a patient by that name." They're really good about protecting your privacy. If you're an adult, I don't think there's anyway for them to find out without you telling them. But it sounds like you really could benefit from whatever treatment your doctor would suggest. Wishing you the best! I commend you for returning it. :)

Also as someone who struggles with suicidal thoughts/ ideation, I found a great book yesterday that's been helpful for me called How I Stayed Alive When My Brain was Trying to Kill Me. Maybe worth a read for you if you're in a good place to tackle that.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OI0E3G/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1