False Charge: BB Is Full of People with BPD

[[mp...]]

Is there a school of thought that withdrawal mimics BPD?

For me personally, my w/d mimicked most interestingly, schizophrenia.

It was a life changing experience for me. Believe it or not, one that I am completely grateful for having been through.

[[St...]]

My psych is mostly awesome. We're working through DBT skills and I think it's really helpful. Unfortunately as I've begun to talk about restarting my taper following all the stuff I've gone through she wants to talk about me being on an SSRI. When I mention that I want to cross reference it with message boards like this she wants to talk about me getting off message boards. So there's definitely a wild misunderstanding of doctors in this regard.

[[ca...]]

My psych is mostly awesome. We're working through DBT skills and I think it's really helpful. Unfortunately as I've begun to talk about restarting my taper following all the stuff I've gone through she wants to talk about me being on an SSRI. When I mention that I want to cross reference it with message boards like this she wants to talk about me getting off message boards. So there's definitely a wild misunderstanding of doctors in this regard.

 

After reading your post, I remember my last doctors visit. I told him what I have been going through and that I have learned a lot about how these medications affect the CNS. He told me that since the internet, patients ask a lot more questions about treatments and drugs. He thought that was a good thing. I do too! An informed patient is a healthy patient!

[[Sc...]]

I am a health professional and I agree that it's better for patients to be informed and ask questions. The problem I have is when someone who I haven't even assessed yet demands to know if I will provide such-and-such treatment and I can't even answer that because I have not met them. Happens a lot.

 

Nurses in the US can be Nurse Practitioners and do many of the same things doctors do including prescribing.

 

I'm a psychotherapist. So far, I haven't seen anyone who looks obviously like a borderline personality here. Probably the moderators crack down on dysfunctional behavior and those people wouldn't hang around long.

 

But let me tell you what I have seen: I've been a substance abuse counselor and some people here engage in thought processes that are very familiar to me from working with addicts who relapse. Here are some examples, not direct quotes:

"Oh my god I can't stand this! [withdrawal] Is it worth it?! I feel like I'm going to die!"

"I didn't get out of bed for 7 months"

People who've been substance abuse counselors know that some of these people are setting themselves up for a relapse. They are people with low pain tolerance and poor coping skills who often don't reach out for help, who isolate themselves from friends, who avoid hobbies and jobs. They are seeking to justify their relapse by complaining about the pain and how unbearable life is. Then when they relapse they claim they had no choice because recovery was too difficult. Others are simply attention seeking, perhaps thinking if they don't make their problems seem like a crisis no one will respond. I can tell who these people are because a week later after getting some feedback they will miraculously be feeling a lot better.

I have a suspicion many people here may have gotten on benzos because they were detoxing from booze; it's one of the few legitimate reasons for benzos. Alcohol and drugs fry the brain and I think this could explain why some people are having more difficulty with withdrawal than others. Perhaps some don't want to admit they were in bad shape with booze, drugs or both before they ever did benzos.

 

 

 

 

 

[[Fi...]]

Yep, thanks for having the nerve to write this.  No doubt somebody will be around to slap you down shortly!

[[Fl...]]

But let me tell you what I have seen: I've been a substance abuse counselor and some people here engage in thought processes that are very familiar to me from working with addicts who relapse. Here are some examples, not direct quotes:

"Oh my god I can't stand this! [withdrawal] Is it worth it?! I feel like I'm going to die!"

"I didn't get out of bed for 7 months"

People who've been substance abuse counselors know that some of these people are setting themselves up for a relapse. They are people with low pain tolerance and poor coping skills who often don't reach out for help, who isolate themselves from friends, who avoid hobbies and jobs. They are seeking to justify their relapse by complaining about the pain and how unbearable life is. Then when they relapse they claim they had no choice because recovery was too difficult. Others are simply attention seeking, perhaps thinking if they don't make their problems seem like a crisis no one will respond. I can tell who these people are because a week later after getting some feedback they will miraculously be feeling a lot better.

I have a suspicion many people here may have gotten on benzos because they were detoxing from booze; it's one of the few legitimate reasons for benzos. Alcohol and drugs fry the brain and I think this could explain why some people are having more difficulty with withdrawal than others. Perhaps some don't want to admit they were in bad shape with booze, drugs or both before they ever did benzos.

 

There may be a grain of truth to this in some cases but there is a big difference between someone who is struggling with problems with truly addictive drugs such as heroin and someone who is dealing with an injury to the CNS caused by a benzo, the biggest difference being that benzos don't get people high and don't generally cause cravings, so someone who is suffering from the after effects of benzos doesn't generally have to deal with cravings for the drug on top of it.

 

I see benzo as neurotoxic poisons, plain and simple. But I have also experienced the worst of what these drugs have to offer so I understand why some people might end up desperate to make their pain go away. I know that alcohol, opiates and other drugs can cause protracted issues as well but when intensity and duration are factored in, benzos are in a league of their own. We have no way of knowing other people's suffering. As bad as this has been for me maybe I got off easy?

 

When people say they feel like they are going to die or that they can't get out of bed for 7 months, I believe them and I take that seriously. I feel better now most of the time but I am 7 years off and still struggle with significant, debilitating cognitive issues. And I only started really feeling better physically last year. That's a long, long, time to be sicker than most people can even imagine.

 

So are people setting themselves up for "relapse"? I know people who are 4-5 years off who still say these kinds of things. You would think that if they were trying to justify reinstating, they probably would have done it by now.

[[Lo...]]

People who've been substance abuse counselors know that some of these people are setting themselves up for a relapse. They are people with low pain tolerance and poor coping skills who often don't reach out for help, who isolate themselves from friends, who avoid hobbies and jobs. They are seeking to justify their relapse by complaining about the pain and how unbearable life is. Then when they relapse they claim they had no choice because recovery was too difficult. Others are simply attention seeking, perhaps thinking if they don't make their problems seem like a crisis no one will respond. I can tell who these people are because a week later after getting some feedback they will miraculously be feeling a lot better.

I have a suspicion many people here may have gotten on benzos because they were detoxing from booze; it's one of the few legitimate reasons for benzos. Alcohol and drugs fry the brain and I think this could explain why some people are having more difficulty with withdrawal than others. Perhaps some don't want to admit they were in bad shape with booze, drugs or both before they ever did benzos.

 

Yes, but there is a big difference between someone who legitimately takes benzodiazepines for anxiety/panic disorder and someone who is taking them to come down from meth, opiates, cocaine, LSD, alcohol, marijuana or whatever their drug of choice is. Huge difference. In the end, physical dependence can be an issue for both groups, but I am also a bit tired of being lumped into the other group and people trying to change my narrative to fit their own personal experiences and their own worldview. And this is coming from someone who never had any troubles with the Law, had never touched marijuana or any other street drugs. My father was a drinker, and I had avoided that as a plague. Plus, I'd always had a sensitive stomach, and had I ever engaged in alcohol, I am pretty sure I would have ended up with a stomach ulcer, which I never saw as a good outcome

 

I look at it as a physiology issue. Some people can take benzodiazepines and come off relatively ok, and some get flattened by them. We just don't know enough about brain and body chemistry to tell why one person may benefit from a benzodiazepine treatment and why someone can't quit and ends up with such horrendous effects, because not everyone experiences debilitating and crushing effects on/off benzodiazepines.

 

I also know that substance abuse counseling is a big moneymaker these days, and it is tempting to lump everything into substance abuse. And also, a lot of shady detox places have cropped up like crazy. There have been members here on this board who bought into the whole "benzos are just like everything else" paradigm, went to detox and barely escaped alive out of these detoxes due to the ineptitude of the staff in these facilities who are woefully uninformed about the dangers of coming off of benzodiazepines. I have a psychiatrist who understands this a lot better, and am happy that he does.

 

Also, I do feel that "attention seeking" shaming has gotten out of proportion. People seek attention because they want help and want support and someone to help them get through the horrors of depression and anxiety that they experience. I would rather see a person who is not doing so horrible "attention seek" by calling a suicide prevention hotline rather than see someone who doesn't, and ends up ending his/her life.

 

I had a friend who was suffering from severe health complications, was not on any drugs (other than life-saving essential medicine), and instead of "attention seeking" she quietly ended her life instead.

[[Rx...]]

I can think of a thousand other ways one could seek attention if it was just "attention seeking".

[[be...]]

I had a friend who was suffering from severe health complications, was not on any drugs (other than life-saving essential medicine), and instead of "attention seeking" she quietly ended her life instead.

 

:'( :'( :'(

[[Fl...]]

Also, I do feel that "attention seeking" shaming has gotten out of proportion. People seek attention because they want help and want support and someone to help them get through the horrors of depression and anxiety that they experience. I would rather see a person who is not doing so horrible "attention seek" by calling a suicide prevention hotline rather than see someone who doesn't, and ends up ending his/her life.

 

And surprise surprise, it's coming from someone who is "in the business".

 

The more I think about this the more it pisses me off. Put them on a powerful psychoactive drug, provide no support to come off the drug (or worse yet ship them off to detox) and then throw the patient under the bus by treating them (medically and socially) like a drug addict.

 

And of course the fact that the patient might lose their life because the treatment they are given is wholly inappropriate for their condition is completely lost on them.

 

Just collateral damage, I suppose.

[[Rx...]]

I am a health professional and I agree that it's better for patients to be informed and ask questions. The problem I have is when someone who I haven't even assessed yet demands to know if I will provide such-and-such treatment and I can't even answer that because I have not met them. Happens a lot.

 

Nurses in the US can be Nurse Practitioners and do many of the same things doctors do including prescribing.

 

I'm a psychotherapist. So far, I haven't seen anyone who looks obviously like a borderline personality here. Probably the moderators crack down on dysfunctional behavior and those people wouldn't hang around long.

 

But let me tell you what I have seen: I've been a substance abuse counselor and some people here engage in thought processes that are very familiar to me from working with addicts who relapse. Here are some examples, not direct quotes:

"Oh my god I can't stand this! [withdrawal] Is it worth it?! I feel like I'm going to die!"

"I didn't get out of bed for 7 months"

People who've been substance abuse counselors know that some of these people are setting themselves up for a relapse. They are people with low pain tolerance and poor coping skills who often don't reach out for help, who isolate themselves from friends, who avoid hobbies and jobs. They are seeking to justify their relapse by complaining about the pain and how unbearable life is. Then when they relapse they claim they had no choice because recovery was too difficult. Others are simply attention seeking, perhaps thinking if they don't make their problems seem like a crisis no one will respond. I can tell who these people are because a week later after getting some feedback they will miraculously be feeling a lot better.

I have a suspicion many people here may have gotten on benzos because they were detoxing from booze; it's one of the few legitimate reasons for benzos. Alcohol and drugs fry the brain and I think this could explain why some people are having more difficulty with withdrawal than others. Perhaps some don't want to admit they were in bad shape with booze, drugs or both before they ever did benzos.

 

I've held back thus far from replying directly, but I will share a short version of my story now.  Hardworking and social person with various interests by nature.  Tough enough in my former life to run a marathon, etc., etc., etc.  Resisted taking even over the counter drugs for pain.  Coped with exercise, relaxation, healthy distractions, and dealing with issues head on the best I could.  No substance abuse history.  Non-drinker.  No benzo warning given.  Voluntarily entered detox after uninformed cold turkey.  Early withdrawal almost killed me per medical professional assessment, not just feeling as though I was dying.  Luckily, no paramedic or doctor indicated they thought I was attention seeking when I was suffering from near fatal respiratory distress, my blood pressure dropping deathly low, not to mention seizures. Other drugs prescribed/administered to me to help symptoms exacerbated things in a very dangerous way for me, but they were prescribed/administered to deal with the benzo induced hell.  Bedridden/chaise lounge/chair ridden for months aside from trips to the bathroom and kitchen.  Never reinstated after detox and did not want to and still do not want to.  However, I do not judge anyone who reinstates/reinstated.  Some reinstate in order to care for children, care for elderly relatives, attempt to keep a job, etc.  Fortunately, I did not have to worry about such responsibilities just mentioned on top of my suffering.

 

Anyhow, yes, it really can get that bad for some.  I know firsthand obviously.  I am not trying to scare anyone unnecessarily, but my truth is my truth.  I felt a need to address this above quote directly as well as I could and thus felt it important to share the scary parts of my personal story as well.

 

There are different levels of suffering with different people in re to their benzo withdrawal, but that does not change anyone's personal experience.

 

 

[[Co...]]

I am a health professional and I agree that it's better for patients to be informed and ask questions. The problem I have is when someone who I haven't even assessed yet demands to know if I will provide such-and-such treatment and I can't even answer that because I have not met them. Happens a lot.

 

Nurses in the US can be Nurse Practitioners and do many of the same things doctors do including prescribing.

 

I'm a psychotherapist. So far, I haven't seen anyone who looks obviously like a borderline personality here. Probably the moderators crack down on dysfunctional behavior and those people wouldn't hang around long.

 

We take the view that everyone deserves support, even if they exhibit some antisocial behaviour. It is pretty difficult to get banned from BB, but we have process of escalating sanctions we can take. A ban, except in the most egregious of circumstances, takes quite some time and effort by a member. At the same time though, for the sake of the wider membership, we have no choice but tackle problematic behaviour, even if it is a withdrawal effect or the result of an underlying condition.

 

But let me tell you what I have seen: I've been a substance abuse counselor and some people here engage in thought processes that are very familiar to me from working with addicts who relapse. Here are some examples, not direct quotes:

"Oh my god I can't stand this! [withdrawal] Is it worth it?! I feel like I'm going to die!"

"I didn't get out of bed for 7 months"

People who've been substance abuse counselors know that some of these people are setting themselves up for a relapse. They are people with low pain tolerance and poor coping skills who often don't reach out for help, who isolate themselves from friends, who avoid hobbies and jobs. They are seeking to justify their relapse by complaining about the pain and how unbearable life is. Then when they relapse they claim they had no choice because recovery was too difficult. Others are simply attention seeking, perhaps thinking if they don't make their problems seem like a crisis no one will respond. I can tell who these people are because a week later after getting some feedback they will miraculously be feeling a lot better.

 

But 'attention seeking behaviour' is hardly something which is confined to BenzoBuddies. It occurs everywhere and at every forum of any appreciable size. There might be a higher occurrence personality disorders at BB than in the general population, but that should not come as surprise given that there is certainly a higher percentage of our members suffer psychological disorders than the average. I expect (though, I could be wrong) that there is a higher incidence of comorbid  personality disorders with other mental health problems. Having said this, there really are very few members who suffer from borderline personality disorders (and this not because we have banned those accounts).

 

I have a suspicion many people here may have gotten on benzos because they were detoxing from booze; it's one of the few legitimate reasons for benzos. Alcohol and drugs fry the brain and I think this could explain why some people are having more difficulty with withdrawal than others. Perhaps some don't want to admit they were in bad shape with booze, drugs or both before they ever did benzos.

 

You suspicion is incorrect. Very few of our members were prescribed benzodiazepines as the result of alcohol detox protocols. Those protocols call for very limited use, and limited use does not lead to benzodiazepine dependency. A small number of members have substance abuse problems - I suspect hardly more than the general population. It even could be the same or even less. The reality is that BB tends to not be the best fit for the majority of those who abuse benzodiazepines, alcohol or other drugs.

 

You might find informative the following overview of a study (of our members) by Dr. Catherine Pittman (of our members):

 

http://www.adaa.org/sites/default/files/Pittman121.pdf

 

There is no mention in the pdf presentation of alcohol detox being a reason for our members originally being prescribed these meds. So, either they were none (I suspect this is the case), or they were a very small number and were included with the small 'other' category.

[[Be...]]

I was prescribed benzo's for an anxiety disorder.  No booze or other drug problems. 

[Guest [Kp...]]

I look at it as a physiology issue. Some people can take benzodiazepines and come off relatively ok, and some get flattened by them. We just don't know enough about brain and body chemistry to tell why one person may benefit from a benzodiazepine treatment and why someone can't quit and ends up with such horrendous effects, because not everyone experiences debilitating and crushing effects on/off benzodiazepines.

 

Very true. It is as simple as -- we had no way of knowing we would get stuck without getting stuck.

 

Allow me to digress a bit Loraz.  This problem of not being able to predict the future despite complete information about the present  is a big problem in mathematics and science. The chaos theory belongs in this category. I am not saying that even if we have full genetic and physiological information about ourselves, we will not be able to predict who will develop tolerance or get withdrawals -- I'm saying till we do find a solution, we have to be open to the possibility that this might be one of those arcane problems.

 

That there should be more awareness about benzo withdrawal, there is no doubt. It is the only way to reduce the unintentional damage caused by ignorant, prescribing doctors.

 

 

[[or...]]

I have a suspicion many people here may have gotten on benzos because they were detoxing from booze; it's one of the few legitimate reasons for benzos.

 

Really, Scarlett?

 

I've been on this board for years and what I have observed is that most people here were put on benzos for anxiety or insomnia. Of course they may have been lying, right?

 

In addition, I take great exception to your contention that people are drama queens when they complain about intractable pain, or being in bed for 7 months.

 

One of my friends on here was in such pain that she ended her life. True, she did not complain loudly about it, but those of us who were her buddies knew how serious her pain was. It was neurological -- I had a variation of it myself and it was truly horrible. (Thankfully MY psychotherapist believed me).  And when I and my fellow sufferers (loudly) complained to each other that we felt we were going to die, we believed each other. One of our buddies had a mantra: our job for that particular day was: "Just don't die". We're not all drama queens or folks with low pain tolerance or poor coping skills or no jobs or hobbies: in my group of friends we were stockbrokers, attorneys, psychotherapists (yes, psychotherapists), teachers, grant writers, and other professionals. We were united in one thing: to get off our benzo.

 

I am not disputing your credentials or experience, but maybe wait until you've been here for a little longer to doubt the veracity of those who assert they think they're going to die from pain. Or who can't get out of bed.

 

I'm glad that you haven't detected any BPD here. That, in my layman's opinion, is the least of our problems. Most of us here are honestly suffering souls who are swamped by withdrawal symptoms, not addicts who are building a case for relapse.

 

Katz 

[[Ca...]]

Sorry Scarlett, but that way of thinking doesnt fit me either... But it sure has played a role in my suffering...

Thankfully this site has given me the info and confidence to mostly protect myself from mainstream "professional" thinking...

 

But that you are here can only be a good thing....

 

 

 

[[Rx...]]

Correction:  In re to  "Bedridden/chaise lounge/chair ridden for months aside from trips to the bathroom and kitchen."  Aside from shuffling into doctor's offices and hospitals too when necessary and when I was even able to.  Shuffled into and once collapsed on an ER lobby's floor.  Collapsing (correction per edit now is collapsed past tense) on the floor at home with or without seizures a routine thing.  Thanks again to a caring pm friend who wondered if I was still falling and having seizures, thus my edit.

 

While editing to insert correction, I inadvertently deleted quotes correction applied to.

 

 

 

 

[[be...]]

I have a suspicion many people here may have gotten on benzos because they were detoxing from booze; it's one of the few legitimate reasons for benzos.

 

Really, Scarlett?

 

I've been on this board for years and what I have observed is that most people here were put on benzos for anxiety or insomnia. Of course they may have been lying, right?

 

In addition, I take great exception to your contention that people are drama queens when they complain about intractable pain, or being in bed for 7 months.

 

One of my friends on here was in such pain that she ended her life. True, she did not complain loudly about it, but those of us who were her buddies knew how serious her pain was. It was neurological -- I had a variation of it myself and it was truly horrible. (Thankfully MY psychotherapist believed me).  And when I and my fellow sufferers (loudly) complained to each other that we felt we were going to die, we believed each other. One of our buddies had a mantra: our job for that particular day was: "Just don't die". We're not all drama queens or folks with low pain tolerance or poor coping skills or no jobs or hobbies: in my group of friends we were stockbrokers, attorneys, psychotherapists (yes, psychotherapists), teachers, grant writers, and other professionals. We were united in one thing: to get off our benzo.

 

I am not disputing your credentials or experience, but maybe wait until you've been here for a little longer to doubt the veracity of those who assert they think they're going to die from pain. Or who can't get out of bed.

 

I'm glad that you haven't detected any BPD here. That, in my layman's opinion, is the least of our problems. Most of us here are honestly suffering souls who are swamped by withdrawal symptoms, not addicts who are building a case for relapse.

 

Katz

 

 

This was why was put on them.

[[Ms...]]

I think things coming out like thishttp://www.modernmedicine.com/sites/default/files/images/digital/PSY/psy0418_ezine.pdf *should* help professionals question themselves and be less defensive.

[[Rx...]]

I am a health professional and I agree that it's better for patients to be informed and ask questions. The problem I have is when someone who I haven't even assessed yet demands to know if I will provide such-and-such treatment and I can't even answer that because I have not met them. Happens a lot.

 

Nurses in the US can be Nurse Practitioners and do many of the same things doctors do including prescribing.

 

I'm a psychotherapist. So far, I haven't seen anyone who looks obviously like a borderline personality here. Probably the moderators crack down on dysfunctional behavior and those people wouldn't hang around long.

 

But let me tell you what I have seen: I've been a substance abuse counselor and some people here engage in thought processes that are very familiar to me from working with addicts who relapse. Here are some examples, not direct quotes:

"Oh my god I can't stand this! [withdrawal] Is it worth it?! I feel like I'm going to die!"

"I didn't get out of bed for 7 months"

People who've been substance abuse counselors know that some of these people are setting themselves up for a relapse. They are people with low pain tolerance and poor coping skills who often don't reach out for help, who isolate themselves from friends, who avoid hobbies and jobs. They are seeking to justify their relapse by complaining about the pain and how unbearable life is. Then when they relapse they claim they had no choice because recovery was too difficult. Others are simply attention seeking, perhaps thinking if they don't make their problems seem like a crisis no one will respond. I can tell who these people are because a week later after getting some feedback they will miraculously be feeling a lot better.

I have a suspicion many people here may have gotten on benzos because they were detoxing from booze; it's one of the few legitimate reasons for benzos. Alcohol and drugs fry the brain and I think this could explain why some people are having more difficulty with withdrawal than others. Perhaps some don't want to admit they were in bad shape with booze, drugs or both before they ever did benzos.

 

I've held back thus far from replying directly, but I will share a short version of my story now.  Hardworking and social person with various interests by nature.  Tough enough in my former life to run a marathon, etc., etc., etc.  Resisted taking even over the counter drugs for pain.  Coped with exercise, relaxation, healthy distractions, and dealing with issues head on the best I could.  No substance abuse history.  Non-drinker.  No benzo warning given.  Voluntarily entered detox after uninformed cold turkey.  Early withdrawal almost killed me per medical professional assessment, not just feeling as though I was dying.  Luckily, no paramedic or doctor indicated they thought I was attention seeking when I was suffering from near fatal respiratory distress, my blood pressure dropping deathly low, not to mention seizures. Other drugs prescribed/administered to me to help symptoms exacerbated things in a very dangerous way for me, but they were prescribed/administered to deal with the benzo induced hell.  Bedridden/chaise lounge/chair ridden for months aside from trips to the bathroom and kitchen.  Never reinstated after detox and did not want to and still do not want to.  However, I do not judge anyone who reinstates/reinstated.  Some reinstate in order to care for children, care for elderly relatives, attempt to keep a job, etc.  Fortunately, I did not have to worry about such responsibilities just mentioned on top of my suffering.

 

Anyhow, yes, it really can get that bad for some.  I know firsthand obviously.  I am not trying to scare anyone unnecessarily, but my truth is my truth.  I felt a need to address this above quote directly as well as I could and thus felt it important to share the scary parts of my personal story as well.

 

There are different levels of suffering with different people in re to their benzo withdrawal, but that does not change anyone's personal experience.

 

Above are quotes I inadvertently deleted while trying to insert correction to correction to this 3 posts above (for anyone following).  I'm not sure how else to correct this completely in one post.  So, pardon me.

[[Co...]]

I think things coming out like thishttp://www.modernmedicine.com/sites/default/files/images/digital/PSY/psy0418_ezine.pdf *should* help professionals question themselves and be less defensive.

 

Interesting. A correction to the article though: BB does not receive 250,000 hits per month. 'Hits' is a technical term, and refers to the number of files and resources referenced to create/display a webpage (typically, many 'hits' for each webpage). I don't have those figures to to hand, by it will be in the tens of millions range per month. But 'hits' is a misleading term. As a single webpage might be returned with just a couple of hits, or with scores of hits (depend upon the site and the individual webpage). What the article writer probably means to indicate is the number of 'page impressions' (page views). I don't have those figures to hand for the entire BB website, but in reality, in December 2017 (according to the notes, the month used for the article*), there were 3,249,912 page impressions of the forum alone (and that was a comparatively quiet month - the total for 2017 (the forum alone) was 46,627,350).

 

* The article writer made use of a third party website (SimilarWeb. Benzodiazepines; 2017. https://www.similarweb.com/website/benzobuddies.org#referrals. Accessed December 13, 2017.) which 'estimates' the number of 'hits'. Since they have no access to any of our data (except what appears publicly at the foot of the forum), they are not expected to be remotely accurate.

[[Ms...]]

Wow Colin,

 

Thats an insane amount of hits.  We're reaching out to them, perhaps we can update the data while we're there.  I don't want this ball dropped on acknowledging the need for research etc, it's too important. 

 

I just did "hits" too - google analytics is not my strong suit

[[Pi...]]

I have a psych nurse friend who is convinced that online forums, such as BB, are full of people with borderline personality disorders implying that they (the forums) should be avoided. 

 

I hate to say this, but I do question the efficacy of joining the FB groups. While I have met some great, positive people other people on there love to share misery, negativity and obsess over things like brand of water. Like no, water does not cause anxiety, chill.

[Guest [sa...]]

I have a psych nurse friend who is convinced that online forums, such as BB, are full of people with borderline personality disorders implying that they (the forums) should be avoided. 

 

I hate to say this, but I do question the efficacy of joining the FB groups. While I have met some great, positive people other people on there love to share misery, negativity and obsess over things like brand of water. Like no, water does not cause anxiety, chill.

 

Even if it doesn't, no need to be judgemental and force your views on other people. Let them think what they want.

Also, Sharing negative things is the sole point of getting support and comfort.

[[ma...]]

I am a health professional and I agree that it's better for patients to be informed and ask questions. The problem I have is when someone who I haven't even assessed yet demands to know if I will provide such-and-such treatment and I can't even answer that because I have not met them. Happens a lot.

 

Nurses in the US can be Nurse Practitioners and do many of the same things doctors do including prescribing.

 

I'm a psychotherapist. So far, I haven't seen anyone who looks obviously like a borderline personality here. Probably the moderators crack down on dysfunctional behavior and those people wouldn't hang around long.

 

But let me tell you what I have seen: I've been a substance abuse counselor and some people here engage in thought processes that are very familiar to me from working with addicts who relapse. Here are some examples, not direct quotes:

"Oh my god I can't stand this! [withdrawal] Is it worth it?! I feel like I'm going to die!"

"I didn't get out of bed for 7 months"

People who've been substance abuse counselors know that some of these people are setting themselves up for a relapse. They are people with low pain tolerance and poor coping skills who often don't reach out for help, who isolate themselves from friends, who avoid hobbies and jobs. They are seeking to justify their relapse by complaining about the pain and how unbearable life is. Then when they relapse they claim they had no choice because recovery was too difficult. Others are simply attention seeking, perhaps thinking if they don't make their problems seem like a crisis no one will respond. I can tell who these people are because a week later after getting some feedback they will miraculously be feeling a lot better.

I have a suspicion many people here may have gotten on benzos because they were detoxing from booze; it's one of the few legitimate reasons for benzos. Alcohol and drugs fry the brain and I think this could explain why some people are having more difficulty with withdrawal than others. Perhaps some don't want to admit they were in bad shape with booze, drugs or both before they ever did benzos.

 

Talk about lack of empathy!!