IS NO HELP BETTER THAN THE WRONG HELP? 
Ask The Doctor Dr. Leland Heller Biological Unhappiness 
IS NO HELP BETTER THAN THE WRONG HELP? 
Question: Is no help better than the wrong help? I am both a student of psychology and a borderline patient. Until I read your website, I felt as if I were the only person to hold the beliefs I do about BPD. After educating myself as much as possible about the illness, I lost a lot of hope of ever recovering. I currently don’t have many close relationships, AND, if I do decide to become close with someone, I am open about my emotions and try explaining to them as much as I can about my “weird” emotions. So right now my life is like my own case study. I am watching and only feeling the negative emotions when I have an episode. When I was younger, I was physically and emotionally abused. I remember pretending that I was not myself so that I did not have to feel the pain of the abuse. Now, I feel as if I developed a second self that gains control when I am being abusive or dealing with stress. When I’m not acting “like a borderline”, I feel that I fully understand what is wrong and am willing to do what it takes to get better. But, once I snap, I lose my rational self and all reasoning seems to be pointless. The hardest thing for me to accept is that professional help doesn’t seem to be the answer. I don’t agree with the way they want to treat me. I guess my question to you is, would you recommend professional help even if it isn’t the type of help that you (and I) think is necessary? Or is no help better than the wrong help? What can I do for now until I find an answer that makes sense for treating such a controversial illness? Dr. Heller’s Answer: First, I believe the BPD to be a neurological disorder that causes psychological damage. It needs to be treated medically. Counseling is rarely effective until the medications are right. While going over past events for historical purposes is reasonable, the therapy needs to be emphasizing now and the future. The past was bad, but it’s time to move on. Focusing on painful experiences causes more dysphoria (anxiety, rage, depression and despair) and is usually self-defeating. DBT has been successful in some aspects of treating the BPD (particularly reducing self-mutilation and suicide attempts) by focusing on the here and now. Hospitalization, particularly for self-mutilation, has not been shown to have benefits and can make many individuals worse. The wrong medications can make things worse, particularly Elavil (amitriptyline) and benzodiazepines like Xanax (alprazolam). Taking ineffective medications causes the individual to lose hope, which can be very devastating in an individual who feels suicidal. 
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Video DVDs now available! You can watch and listen to Dr. Heller in the comfort and convenience of your own home. Provides full explanations and treatment descriptions of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) – 90 minutes, other Biological Unhappiness disorders – 90 minutes. Click here to find out more about Dr. Heller’s educational videos. “Biological Unhappiness” “Open this book and it will open your mind. By combining proven medical procedure with hope and inspiration, Dr. Heller has made a significant difference in thousands of patients who had little hope for recovery. “Biological Unhappiness” contains critical information for those who have lost hope.”Zig Ziglar, motivational speaker, author, See You at the Top, Over the Top, Success for Dummies, Raising Positive kids in a Negative World. 
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