Keith and BPD

[O'Neal, Kevin W.]

>Scott Schrade
>Keith and Tourette's
>
>This thread got me to wondering what Tony Fletcher had to say
>on the subject in his exhaustive Moon bio DEAR BOY.  I think
>we'd all agree that Mr. Fletcher's opinion should be given some
>weight since he spent so much time researching our favorite 
>drummer.

I'd agree with that, up until the point of labeling a diagnosis, then
I'd want to see his credentials.

>I couldn't find any references to Tourette's syndrome.

Or Bipolar Disorder.

>I left out a lot concerning
>the traits of Borderline Personality Disorder & how Keith's actions
>fit those descriptions.

I don't think there's a question that Keith was "different", and
unstable in a generic definition, given his habits.
Everything you've posted fits right in with a person who is 'high
strung' and addicted to drug abuse (oh, hell...OKAY! Hyperactivity if
we're hell bent on slapping the clinical dictionary on the guy......I've
had tons of friends who were way more hyper than me, and you know how
much energy *I* have.  A "dynamo" I think is how you described me in
NY.).

I didn't like how Tony used the description of "elements of
schizophrenia"....but if he researched that, and knows exactly what
schizophrenia is....than I won't doubt that there were "elements." 
 
The problem is....Behavioral Health diagnoses are thrown around much too
easily, yet establishing an actual diagnoses by a professional is not as
easy as it would seem from the casualness that people throw terms
around.  One "element" of *any* diagnosis/condition does not a
diagnosis/condition make.

Take for example the industries second most over-used
label....BPD...Borderline Personality Disorder.
Yep, right up there only behind ADD which has made a HUGE surge in the
last 2 decades as classrooms became larger and teacher pay didn't keep
up with the cost of living.

The definition of BPD is (per ICD-9):
"Personality disorder characterized by unstable moods
(cough..."*DRUGS*"), self-image (cough...."Drugs again!") and
interpersonal relationships (drugs, drugs, drugs); uncontrolled anger
(ahem....do I have to say it....drug abuse!); impulsive and
self-destructive acts (dru-u-u-ugs....not hugs), fears of abandonment,
feelings of emptiness (drugs and more drugs), feelings of emptiness and
boredom (guy on drugs in an industry *FULL* of emptiness and boredom),
recurrent suicide threats or self-mutilation (the end-game for many
fighting drug abuse).  <here's the kicker> Often associated with chronic
recurrent drug abuse."

We have people on this list who have lived with addiction and people
fighting addiction.  I'm confident they would agree that the above
definition could *easily* be applied to *any* drug abuser.

I work at very high levels in an industry where the fight against the
flippant use of behavioral health diagnoses is championed by some of the
greatest psychiatric minds in our country.  It is verboten.  Our society
is much too eager to label and look past the obvious, or to take the
time to look at the obvious and treat *that*.

Let the man RIP.

Kevin in VT


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