Steps on our Road to Recovery

Steps On Our Road to Recovery for 3 to 9 May 1999.

Published Last Week. A daily hint published each day since June 1996. This is past my second year anniversary since starting my web pages. Page Down for the next days that are added a day at a time. I have moved to http://www.recoverybydiscovery.com and this daily page is now here at https://www.recoverybydiscovery.com/daily.htm . I would appreciate any feedback, questions and suggestions that you have.

What I am mainly going through now is the DSM-III-R Desk Reference a "disorder" at a time and commenting on the spiritual and recovery aspects. The DSM is what the American Psychiatric Association uses to label symptoms to facilitate communication in their community. Unfortunately, the labeling from the DSM can shut down communication with those seeking temporary assistance and spread the stigmas of mental illness. The DSM can also bring some comfort by telling some that others have had the same experience. I am adding additional comfort by pointing to some ways to start getting out of the "disorders". I am not writing about cures. I am writing about how the cure process works over time. Instantaneous cures can be as traumatic as the original event that generated the disorder or illness. Instantaneous cures may not do us any good, when we get the same disorder back, since we have not changed the thought system that caused the disorder in the first place.

I am just going to give you a picture of what is left in the DSM-III for us to discuss. There is an Appendix A with three disorders that they thought needed more study before they coded them. Then there is Appendix B with decision trees to help give us our codes. Appendix C has an alphabetic listing of the "disorders". Appendix D has a numerical listing of the codes they use. And lastly they have an appendix with out a letter. That is a list of symptoms with all the name that they can call us. I found it significant that they did not just call this Appendix E. It seemed like they are avoiding the simplicity of just using symptoms. I am not going to avoid that here.

3 May 1999

Last week I started describing the decision trees in Appendix B of

the DSM-III. I'll repeat my summary description.

The DSM starts with psychotic symptoms, when they see delusions,

hallucinations, incoherence, loose associations, catatonia, excitement,

or disorganization in us. We get put in the "delusional disorder" box

when they can not find any organic cause, we have "it" over a month,

they do not think it is Schizophrenia or a Mood Disorder, we have

delusions for over a month and we do not have audio or visual

hallucinations or bizarre behavior. If we do have audio or visual

hallucinations or bizarre behavior we get to be put in the "psychotic

disorder nos" box. There is a slight qualifier in that we can have

brief mood symptoms. When we persist in the mood symptoms we

get the "psychotic mood disorder" box.

We also can get to another "psychotic mood disorder" box by

having symptoms for less than one month, and not having schizophrenic

symptoms and emotional turmoil and psychosis from stress and having

full mood syndrome present. Without the full mood we get the "brief

reactive psychosis" box. We can also get to the "psychotic mood

disorder" by having schizophrenic symptoms for at least a week and

our delusions stay for two weeks with prominent mood symptoms.

When we do not have prominent mood symptoms, we get the

"schizoaffective disorder" box. We get to the "schizophrenia" box

by having a duration of over six months and brief mood symptoms.

For less than six months we get the "schizophreniform disorder" box.

When our social or job functioning is not markedly impaired we get

the "psychotic disorder nos" box.

From the above we can get an idea of the complexity of the label

system. When we get to the symptoms themselves we will see how

this all gets simplified, along with what to do. Tomorrow we will

look at the mood disorder maze.

4 May 1999

When we have depressed, elevated, expansive, or irritable

moods we can qualify for the following labels: major depressive

episode, depressive disorder nos, dysthmia and major depression,

major depression, adjustment disorder with depressed mood,

depressive disorder nos, dysthymia, manic episode, cyclothymia

and bipolar disorder, bipolar disorder nos, hypomanic episode,

cyclothymia. Simple symptoms, that have complex labels.

To get to have a "major depressive episode" they first have to

rule out organic factors. The medical doctors are closing in on

this organic escape route, by showing that we always have chemical

and brain function differences with our symptoms. Of course we do.

We create the new chemical and brain function differences as a part

of creating our depressing, elevating, expansiving or irritable mooding.

Of course, when they change our chemistry, we will feel different.

Organic doctors are in the business of suppressing part of us or cutting

out part of us and sometimes we need this suppressing and cutting as part

of our recovery. What they are slow in learning is that we can change

our minds and thereby change our chemistry and brain functions.

One of my favorite authors, therapist, and thinkers about how our

minds work, is William Glasser, M. D. He is one that would agree

with what I just wrote. His latest book, Choice Theory, A New

Psychology of Personal Freedom, is another classic. Glasser is

the inventor of "reality therapy". From my perspective, he sees reality

a lot better than many doctors. He has been able to really help more

people than many other doctors. Read any of his books, and you will

be able to see reality, in more healthy ways.

5 May 1999

To get to the "major depressive episode" label we have

first ruled out the organic decision tree, at least in our mind. :))

Next we have to rule out having persistent elevated, expansive or

irritable moods. Then we have to have our depressed symptoms

for at least two weeks. Then we have to rule out any delusions.

If we have an inability to speak for two years prior to our

"major depressive episode" or after six months after our

"major depressive episode" we get the special label of

"dysthymia and major depression". If we can speak we get

the ordinary "major depression" label. If we have delusions

we get the "depressive disorder nos" label. If we have more

than two weeks and can not speak for at least half of two years

and do not speak for over two months we get the "dysthymia"

label. If our depressing last for less than six months in response

to a stressor we get the "adjustment disorder with depressed mood"

label. If not in reaction to a stressor that they find we get the

"depressive disorder nos" label.

Tomorrow we will rule in having persistent elevated, expansive

or irritable moods.

If you are depressing yourself over these descriptions, take a break

on my free page and see if you can find what I added.

6 May 1999

First we need to have one or more expansive or irritable moods

that impairs our functioning to qualify for a "manic episode". When

our manic symptoms are superimposed on our psychotic symptoms

we get the "bipolar disorder nos" label. When we have at least

two years of mild expanding and contracting [cyclothymia] we get

the "bipolar disorder" label. When we add major depressive or

manic symptoms we get the "cyclothymia and bipolar disorder"

label. Male or female PMS does not count. :)) It does not count,

when we are doing schizophrenic symptoms.

When we are doing hypomanic symptoms, they label that a

"hypomanic episode". When we have numerous episodes

and depressive periods for at least two years and without

remission for two months we get the full "cyclothymia" label.

If we do not qualify for the full cyclothymia label we get the

"bipolar disorder nos" label. It does not count when we are

also doing psychotic symptoms.

I was surprised to have the irritable symptoms with the

manic symptoms. We see a lot more of irritable than manic

symptoms done. Of course when we are irritable, we are really

irritable at ourselves. We are irritating ourselves, so that we

can have an opportunity to heal the source of our irritations, us.

If you are depressing yourself over these descriptions, take a break

on my free page and see if you can find what I added.

7 May 1999

Today we are getting to the organic mental disorders logic diagram.

These labels are given us, only when they can find an organic cause. As

I wrote earlier, the search for organic causes will continue for some time.

In fact, many of these symptoms come as side effects of medications.

They label it "delirium" when we have attention and thinking problems,

that develop over a short time and fluctuate over time. When there are

other mental symptoms at the same time they have no additional diagnosis.

When our thinking and attention is OK, but we have memory challenges

and ability to function at work or play we get the "dementia" label. When

we only have short and long term memory challenges we get the "amnestic

syndrome" label. When we have a marked change in personality with

instability, outbursts, social problems, apathy, indifference or suspiciousness

we get the "organic personality syndrome" label. When these labels do not

work for them they go on to "organic delusional syndrome" for prominent

delusions. For hallucinations they have "organic hallucinosis". For bipolar

symptoms they have the "organic mood syndrome" label. For anxiety and

panic symptoms they have the "organic anxiety syndrome" label. For meds

on the no no list they have the "organic mental disorder nos" label. For

meds on the no no list that produce substance specific symptoms they have

the "psychoactive substance-induced intoxication" label. For withdrawal

of no no meds they have the "psychoactive substance-induced withdrawal"

label. When none of the above fit, they have the "organic mental disorder

nos" label.

8 May 1999

Now we have the anxiety disorder logic diagram to understand. When

we are panicing ourselves recurrently and have a fear of certain places we

get their "panic disorder with agoraphobia" label. If not certain places, we

get their "panic disorder without agoraphobia" label. When our fear is of

our own symptoms in certain places, we get their "agoraphobia without panic

disorder" label. When our fear starts in childhood of separation from our

primary caretakers we get their "separation anxiety disorder" label. When

our fear is of something specific we get their "simple phobia" label. When

our fear is of social embarrassment for at least six months and we are under

eighteen we get their "avoidant disorder of childhood or adolescence" label.

When we are over eighteen we get their "social phobia" label. When our

fear is in the form of obsessions or compulsions we get their "obsessive

compulsive disorder" label. When our fears are expressed in the form of

anxious worrying for over six months without their "mood disorder" and

we are over eighteen we get their "generalized anxiety disorder" label.

When we are under eighteen we get their "overanxious disorder" label.

When our fear is in response to a stressor and they can not find another

label we get their "adjustment disorder with anxious mood" label. When

we repeatedly re experience our stressor we get their "post-traumatic

stress disorder" label. When they can not find anything else to call our

upsetting ourselves we get their "anxiety disorder nos" label.

In all of these, we have a fear. We have a fear, because we have not

learned enough, of how to love ourselves unconditionally. We have not

learned how, to have the perfect love that casts out all fear, yet. Keep

at it, at least we know what the remedy is. Our lord most high within,

would really like to teach us how. Keep asking how. Part of you,

knows.

9 May 1999

Now we are going to work on understanding the somatoform disorders

diagram logic. Somatoform means we are having real symptoms, but the

doctors can not find a physical cause. Not that they will not keep looking. :))

We can start with our physical symptoms and anxiety about our symptoms.

When they find an organic cause they label it a "physical condition". When

we are upsetting ourself about the "physical condition" they label it

"psychological factors affecting physical condition". That means we are

afraid of what may happen to us. When they think that our physical symptoms

are intentionally produced and we have an incentive, they call it "malingering".

When there are no obvious reasons they call it "factitious disorder". Of course

they really do not know whether it is our conscious or unconscious mind is

producing our symptoms.

Next they look for a preoccupation with a belief that we have a serious

disease for at least six months. When the belief is a delusion they label us

with one of the psychotic tree labels. When the belief is not a delusion they

label us with "hypochondriasis". This would only be an opinion without

getting to know what our conscious and unconscious beliefs are, in depth.

When our preoccupation is with pain we get their label "somatoform pain

disorder". When our preoccupation is with an imagined physical defect

they give us their label of "body dysmorhic disorder". When our imagination

is a delusion they send us the to psychotic diagram. Which is it, imagination

or delusion? How do they decide? How is this logical? :))

Then there is when we have multiple physical complaints for over six

months we get their "undifferentiated somatoform disorder" label. When

we start before 30 years old and keep at it for several years we qualify

for their "somatization disorder". When our symptoms are in response

to psychosocial stressors we get their "adjustment disorder with physical

complaints" label. When this "disorder" includes an alteration or loss

of physical functioning we get their "conversion disorder" label. When

they do not know what else to label us they give us their "somatoform

disorder nos" label. The secret is that nos means not otherwise specified.

Enough logic and labels for this week! :)) Have a great week.

Very Respectfully,

Michael Foster, MA

DiscoveryCoachemail

https://www.recoverybydiscovery.com or

http://i.am/rbd; Total-DC or 868-2532

or 868-6749

Very Respectfully,

Michael Foster, MA

Discovery Coach

https://www.recoverybydiscovery.com

DiscoveryCoachemail

"Learn HOW to recovery by discovering the blocks you need to remove and the actions you need to take and what you need to let go of as your blocks to your blessings."

From my book in process, The Spiritual Cookbook (Generic Recipes for a Better Life)

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I started my daily page, because it is useful for me to look for some recovery tip or secret each day for my spiritual growth. we and I only need one secret to work on and let it work on me each day. They are secrets because they are usually the opposite of what the majority of society teaches. They must be secret because they are not commonly used. A friend of mine once said "Common Sense is not much in Common.". Now that I have grandchildren I am also writing for them. I would have really liked for my grandparents to have passed on what they learned.

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