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As with so many of these rage massacres from the past 20 years, the more you look at Tuesdays' killing spree, the more you see that the system we've been living under since Reaganomics conquered everything has created all kinds of monsters and maniacs, from the plutocrats who've plundered this country for three decades straight, down to the lone broken worker -- McLendon -- who took up arms in a desperate suicide mission against the beast that crushed him.
So far we've learned that McLendon's hit list names the three companies he had worked for since 2003 -- Reliance Metals, which makes construction materials; Pilgrim's Pride, the nation's number one poultry producer, where his mother also worked, until she was suspended from her job last week; and Kelley Foods, a smaller family-owned meat-processing company from which McLendon apparently quit just last week.
Even more striking to someone who has studied these workplace massacres, it appears that McLendon was bullied and abused at work. One clue as to why he'd end his spree at Reliance, where he hadn't worked since 2003, could be that he was trying to kill the source of the pain: workers at Reliance used to taunt him incessantly, giving him the nickname "Doughboy." Which basically means "fatso" and "faggot" combined: McLendon was 5 feet, 8 inches tall, but he weighed roughly 210 pounds.
Maybe it's just a coincidence, but "Doughboy" is the exact same nickname that workers at Standard Gravure, a printing plant in Louisville, Ky., gave to a guy named Joe Wesbecker back in the 1980s.
Like McLendon's case against Pilgrim's Pride, Wesbecker also was locked in an ongoing labor dispute with his company, whose top shareholders had gone on an eight-year plundering spree, leaving little for the workers; the government backed Wesbecker's case against Standard Gravure, and he "won" his dispute, but it was irrelevant.
By 1989, the culture had changed, all power went to the CEOs and major shareholders. Standard Gravure's senior executives ignored the arbitration rulings and continued to treat Wesbecker however they felt, slashing his pay under a different pretense, which would require a whole new round of arbitrations.
Joe "Doughboy" Wesbecker finally cracked: on Sept. 14, 1989, he unleashed America's first private workplace massacre, pitting aggrieved
worker against vampiric company, borrowing from the numerous post office shootings that had erupted a few years earlier. The result: seven killed, 20 wounded, and the death of the company that drove him to the brink. And an unending string of workplace massacres by "disgruntled employees" ever since.
Next time any asshole calls a kid or a co-worker "Doughboy," put the bully and the bullied on the top of your next Ghoul Pool list. Bullying in the workplace, like bullying in the schoolyard, is only now being recognized as a serious problem, with devastating psychological consequences -- and the occasional rampage massacre.
Conventional wisdom used to say that victims of bullying should "deal with it" since it was "just the way things are"; nowadays, after all the workplace and school shootings, anti-bullying laws and codes are becoming increasingly common.
As the earth fares under a rainless sky,
So do a people languish under an unkind king.
Possessions are less pleasant than poverty
To the oppressed living under an unjust king.
If the king acts contrary to justice, contrary seasons will befall
And rain-laden clouds will not come forth.
If the people's protector fails to protect,
Priests will forget the Vedas and cows' milk will dry up.
-Tirukkural 56: 557-560
by: RANDY KREHBIEL World staff writer
[Tulsa, Oklahoma]
Friday, March 6, 2009
Thirteen-year- old Lane Dunkley just wanted to go hunting with his grandfather.
What he got was a lecture on politics.
Dunkley and his father Daniel Reddy, who live in Tulsa, went to Broken Arrow Tuesday night for a hunter safety course normally required to get an Oklahoma hunting license.
The class was a reward of sorts. Dunkley, who wants to go hunting with his aging grandfather, was told he could only if he brought his grades up.
So he did-- to a B-plus average.
But when father and son arrived at the lesson, the volunteer instructor, Kell Wolf, asked if any of the students voted for President Obama.
Reddy, a transplanted Californian - and ex-Marine - raised his hand.
According to Reddy and others in the room, Wolf called Obama “the next thing to the Anti-Christ” and ordered Reddy and Dunkley from the room. When Reddy refused, Wolf said he would not teach “liberals” and would cancel the course if Reddy didn’t leave.
So Reddy and Dunkley left, as did a few others.
Lance Meek, hunter education coordinator for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, said Wolf had been a volunteer instructor for “a long time, probably 15 years or more” and “from what we’ve heard and observed, had always done a great job. He worked with the kids really well.”
But when Meek received a call Wednesday morning - from someone other than the Reddys - he said he had no choice.
“I got the call at 8:30, and by 9 o’clock (Wolf) was no longer a volunteer for us," Meek said.
Contacted Friday, Wolf had no comment on the matter. Meek said when he talked briefly to Wolf on Wednesday, Wolf did not deny ordering Reddy from the class or offer an explanation.
Stacy Reddy, Daniel Reddy’s wife and Lane Dunkley’s mother, said the family was surprised by how quickly the Wildlife Department acted.
“Lance Meek called and apologized up and down and wanted to know what they could do to make it right,” she said. “The only thing we really wanted was for my son to be able to take the hunter safety course, and there wasn’t another one in the Tulsa area with an opening for the rest of 2009.”
So Meek arranged for a private class.
One person has been killed and others injured in a shooting at a church in the US state of Illinois, according to local media reports.
The St Louis Post-Dispatch said the shooting happened at the First Baptist Church in Maryville, about 20 miles (30km) from St Louis, in Missouri.
The paper quoted officials saying the man killed was the church's pastor.
The suspected attacker is said to be in custody and receiving treatment for self-inflicted stab wounds.
He reportedly walked into the church during a Sunday morning service and shot Pastor Fred Winters.
The Post-Dispatch said Mr Winters died in hospital of a gunshot wound to the chest.
It remains unclear how many people in the church were injured.
"It's 10 times more expensive to kill them than to keep them alive," though most Americans believe the opposite, said Donald McCartin, a former California jurist known as "The Hanging Judge of Orange County" for sending nine men to death row.
The most recent arguments against it centered on the ever-increasing number of convicts cleared by DNA evidence.Some of the worst cases occurred in Illinois. In 2000, then-Gov. George H. Ryan placed a moratorium on executions after 13 people had been exonerated from death row for reasons including genetic testing and recanted testimony. Ryan declared the system "so fraught with error that it has come close to the ultimate nightmare, the state's taking of innocent life."
He commuted the sentences of all 167 death row convicts, most to life imprisonment without parole. His moratorium is still in effect.
Across the country, the number of prisoners exonerated and released from death row is more than 130, with thousands of appeals clogging the courts. (emphasis mine).
Death penalty trials are more expensive for several reasons: They often require extra lawyers; there are strict experience requirements for attorneys, leading to lengthy appellate waits while capable counsel is sought for the accused; security costs are higher, as well as costs for processing evidence — DNA testing, for example, is far more expensive than simple blood analyses.
What ever happened to the "moral value" that it is better to let 100 guilty go free than to punish one innocent? And if you imprison an innocent, the best you can do is say, "Ooops, sorry about ruining your life." But you can't take a killing back!
Drill, baby drill!
Kill, baby kill!
You people really confuse me.
Economist noted that one can now ship a container from China to Europe for free -- you only need to pick up the fuel and handling costs -- but half-empty freighters are the norm along the world's busiest shipping routes.
http://www.alternet.org/story/128412/
Causes of personality disorder
Like other psychiatric illnesses, it is thought that personality disorders are caused by a number of factors. These include parental upbringing in childhood, personality, social development as well as genetic and biological factors.
Psychological causes
There is a body of research which shows that the vast majority of patients with personality disorders were abused as children. 75% of people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder have experienced physical or sexual abuse. Abuse can come in the form of physical, sexual or just not being parented properly.
Childhood is the time to learn to cope and manage intense emotional changes and this is one of the most important goals of parenthood. Children who are abused often do not learn these lessons, thus they are more likely to have difficulty regulating their emotions as adults.
What Causes Antisocial Personality Disorder?
The cause of antisocial personality disorder, or ASP, is unknown. Like many mental health issues, evidence points to inherited traits. But dysfunctional family life also increases the likelihood of ASP. So although ASP may have a hereditary basis, environmental factors contribute to its development.
The Theories
Researchers have their own ideas about ASP’s cause. One theory suggests that abnormalities in development of the nervous system may cause ASP. Abnormalities that suggest abnormal nervous system development include learning disorders, persistent bedwetting and hyperactivity.
A recent study showed that if mothers smoked during pregnancy, their offspring were at risk of developing antisocial behavior. This suggests that smoking brought about lowered oxygen levels with may have resulted in subtle brain injury to the fetus.
Yet another theory suggests that people with ASP require greater sensory input for normal brain function. Evidence that antisocials have low resting pulse rates and low skin conductance, and show decreased amplitude on certain brain measures supports this theory. Individuals with chronically low arousal may seek out potentially dangerous or risky situations to raise their arousal to more optimal levels to satisfy their craving for excitement.
Brain imaging studies have also suggested that abnormal brain function is a cause of antisocial behavior. Likewise, the neurotransmitter serotonin has been linked with impulsive and aggressive behavior. Both the temporal lobes and the prefrontal cortex help regulate mood and behavior. It could be that impulsive or poorly controlled behavior stems from a functional abnormality in serotonin levels or in these brain regions.
The Environment
Social and home environment also contributes to the development of antisocial behavior. Parents of troubled children frequently show a high level of antisocial behavior themselves. In one large study, the parents of delinquent boys were more often alcoholic or criminal, and their homes were frequently disrupted by divorce, separation or the absence of a parent.
In the case of foster care and adoption, depriving a young child of a significant emotional bond could damage his ability to form intimate and trusting relationships, which may explain why some adopted children are prone to develop ASP. As young children, they may be more likely to move from one caregiver to another before a final adoption, thereby failing to develop appropriate or sustaining emotional attachments to adult figures.
Erratic or inappropriate discipline and inadequate supervision have been linked to antisocial behavior in children. Involved parents tend to monitor their child’s behavior, setting rules and seeing that they are obeyed, checking on the child’s whereabouts, and steering them away from troubled playmates. Good supervision is less likely in broken homes because parents may not be available, and antisocial parents often lack the motivation to keep an eye on their children. The importance of parental supervision is also underscored when antisocials grow up in large families where each child gets proportionately less attention.
A child who grows up in a disturbed home may enter the adult world emotionally injured. Without having developed strong bonds, he is self-absorbed and indifferent to others. The lack of consistent discipline results in little regard for rules and delayed gratification. He lacks appropriate role models and learns to use aggression to solve disputes. He fails to develop empathy and concern for those around him.
Antisocial children tend to choose similar children as playmates. This association pattern usually develops during the elementary school years, when peer group acceptance and the need to belong first become important. Aggressive children are the most likely to be rejected by their peers, and this rejection drives social outcasts to form bonds with one another. These relationships can encourage and reward aggression and other antisocial behavior. These associations may later lead to gang membership.
Child abuse also has been linked with antisocial behavior. People with ASP are more likely than others to have been abused as children. This is not surprising since many of them grow up with neglectful and sometimes violent antisocial parents. In many cases, abuse becomes a learned behavior that formerly abused adults perpetuate with their own children.
It has been argued that early abuse (such as vigorously shaking a child) is particularly harmful, because it can result in brain injury. Traumatic events can disrupt normal development of the central nervous system, a process that continues through the adolescent years. By triggering a release of hormones and other brain chemicals, stressful events could alter the pattern of normal development.
It is also suggested that feelings of real or perceived injustice by society in general have a profound impact on the development of Anti-Social Personality Disorder.
However, many resources for people regarding how to deal with people who have or may have this condition suggests that one should run like hell and avoid the subject at any and all costs! Just google it and find out for yourself.
How to Treat Antisocial Personality Disorder
An antisocial personality disorder is marked by behavior that seeks to challenge or violate the norms of society, especially by showing disrespect for the rights and privacy of others. (Even though society shows us all time and again that society itself is disrespectful of the rights and privacy of others. Society itself may indeed be the worst violator of all in this respect!) In fact, individuals with this affliction are often perceived as criminals, and may not receive proper treatment as a result. (Just label, brand, medicate and incarcerate them!) Through a specialized program of individualized psychotherapy and group therapy, you can effectively treat an antisocial personality disorder. (We just collectively reinforce the notion that these people should not and cannot be trusted and should be shunned and disregarded, if not incarcerated and forgotten.)
Instructions for treatment
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Things You’ll Need:
* Prescription medication
* Psychiatrist or psychologist
(And a stun gun!)
Step1
Determine if the more common symptoms of an antisocial personality disorder are present. These may include a lack of remorse for hurting the feelings or violating the rights of others, excessive patterns of irritability, recklessness, lying, deceitfulness and willingness to challenge and violate the norms of society on a regular basis. (As if the norms of society do not need to be challenged by anyone, ever!)
Step2
Obtain a proper diagnosis of an antisocial personality disorder from a qualified mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist or psychologist. Note that a diagnosis of an antisocial personality disorder may be more difficult than with other types of personality disorders, since the patient is seldom cooperative during the process and is also usually dishonest. (As if the medical community and society are always honest... yeah, right! So, if you don't get the diagnosis you are looking for, "Damaged Goods", just keep trying. You will find a fascist with the proper credentials who is ready, willing and able to provide you with the diagnosis you seek.)
Step3
Treat an antisocial personality disorder through the use of individualized psychotherapy in order to determine the causes of the disorder. Often a person who is diagnosed with an antisocial personality disorder is forced to do so under the aegis of a court or doctor, and will probably be very uncooperative at first. Motivating the individual by emphasizing the positive results they can obtain by being cooperative is usually the best strategy for the therapy. (This is also where one may find the stun gun useful!)
Step4
Consider using prescription medication to treat an antisocial personality disorder. (The stronger and more dangerous the medication, the better!) While there is no evidence to support that drug therapy can cure the disorder, it may be helpful to reduce or eliminate the mood swings that usually accompany more serious cases. (And to weaken the mind enough to make it more susceptible to mind control and reprogramming and reeducation.)
Step5
Use group therapy to treat an antisocial personality disorder. Take care to only include others that have the same types of personality disorder to reduce the chance of aggressive or even violent confrontations. Conversely, it is important to restrict the discussions so that criminal behaviors are not reinforced by the exchange of inappropriate information between members of the group.
Understanding borderline personality disorder
'I wish I had never been diagnosed with BPD. With another diagnosis yet similar behaviour I was treated so differently. Possibly the most painful part of this illness (I will call it that) is the discrimination. And the only reason for this is the diagnosis, not the way I feel, behave or speak, because that was the same before.'
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a controversial diagnosis. This information aims to help people to understand when the diagnosis might be given and its consequences.
What is borderline personality disorder?
BPD is one of many personality disorders listed in the manuals used by clinicians when they are giving someone a psychiatric diagnosis. The word 'personality' refers to the ongoing pattern of thoughts, feelings and behaviour that makes us who we are.
A personality disorder may be diagnosed when it's felt that several areas of someone's personality are causing them or others problems in everyday life. This diagnosis is very controversial, because it implies that someone's whole personality is flawed - rather than just one aspect of them. Some psychiatrists argue that it's impossible to treat someone's personality and that it's wrong to apply medical terms and treatments to a personality. This means it's usually the symptoms of BPD that are treated, rather than the disorder as a whole.
BPD is sometimes referred to as Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder. Some argue that the term 'borderline' is misleading. Originally, the term was applied to people who seemed to be on the border of being given a diagnosis of schizophrenia. However, now BPD is seen as distinct from schizophrenia diagnoses, the 'borderline' aspect is seen to express being on the border of psychosis. If someone has a psychosis, it means they have beliefs or experiences not shared by others. Those diagnosed with BPD may have these at times of stress.
BPD is thought to affect about two per cent of the general population. It’s been estimated that three-quarters of those given this diagnosis are women. It's a condition that isn't usually diagnosed until adulthood, because the personality is seen as still developing until then.
Because of the controversy surrounding this diagnosis, services are often not readily available.
How would a clinician make this diagnosis?
There are no biochemical or physical tests to tell whether someone does or doesn't have BPD. (In other words, it is much like the terms, "nigger, cracker, honky, spic, wasp, poor white trash, or asshole", just to name a few stereotypes ). The UK and Europe use slightly different criteria and ‘number of symptoms present’ to diagnose BPD, compared to the USA. But on the whole, if five or six of the symptoms below are present for a year or more, the diagnosis of BPD is given. Note: anyone can experience any of these symptoms occasionally, but with BPD the experience is much more intense and prolonged. (It may be pertinent here that the 'victim' of this stereotype could simply be hyper-aware of the injustice of "societal norms".)
* Self-harm (for example, cutting yourself) or repeated attempts or expressions of the desire to commit suicide. This behaviour can only be counted as one of the criteria for diagnosis; it can't be counted again as demonstrating any of the other symptoms.
* Frantic efforts to avoid being alone, due to an intense fear of being abandoned. Others may not see this fear as justified, but you may go to great lengths to avoid being alone. For example, you may say that you will harm someone if they leave. (Or, perhaps, the inverse: attempting at all costs to be left the fuck alone.)
* A pattern of unstable and intense relationships. Feelings often alternating between idolising the other person and then thinking they are really awful. (Or, perhaps simply viewing most everyone as hypocritical, maniacal, deceptive, injurious pricks.)
* A very uncertain, shaky self-image or sense of self. You may feel good whilst you feel loved by someone you think is wonderful. If you later see them as bad, your own sense of self could be affected. You may also have doubts about your sexual identity. (Or, perhaps you have simply come to the realization that few, if any, truly know what love and compassion is and therefor have no confidence in your own ability to do so as there are no 'teachers' from which to learn healthy relationships from!)
* Two or more areas of your life where your behaviour could cause you harm and be seen as impulsive. Examples would be: spending money extravagantly and having huge debts, having unprotected sex, abusing drugs or alcohol, driving without due care, or binge-eating. You may do these things because you're trying to deal with awful feelings of pain or emptiness.
* You may have moods that are very difficult to come out of. For example, you may go through long periods (usually lasting a few hours...or a few years ) of extreme irritability, restlessness, unhappiness or anxiety.
* Terrible feelings of emptiness. (...realizing that society itself is quite empty...)
* Anger that's inappropriate, intense or difficult to control. You may lose your temper a great deal, experience constant anger or be involved in physical fights. You may feel particularly angry when you think you're being criticized. Anger is often a very difficult feeling for people to acknowledge and deal with, but may cause particular problems in the life of someone diagnosed with BPD.
Periods of paranoia or feeling unreal when under (constantly socially imposed) stress. This might be accompanied by an almost complete lack of physical sensation. At difficult times, you may experience yourself as having more than one personality or feel you are in a trance-like state. (Or, you may just feel like another turd floating in a cesspool).
As a result of confusion about your personal identity and a terror of being left alone (or not) , you may find yourself clinging to very damaging relationships (or taking pot shots at the fucks who won't leave you alone) . Many people who meet the criteria for BPD also meet the criteria for histrionic, narcissistic or antisocial personality disorder. (I guess that is a fancy way of saying that I feel like, as obviously damaged as I may be, I am the only one who seems to see how fucked up everyone is....)
Unfortunately, those diagnosed with BPD have a greater risk of committing suicide than the general population. Most studies suggest between eight and ten per cent of those diagnosed with BPD commit suicide. If you are diagnosed with BPD, it's important to know where to turn to if you are feeling suicidal.
Whilst some people may see themselves in the symptoms of BPD and feel relieved to have a label (numb nutted fucks) to apply to the problems they experience, others may be devastated at the idea that their personality is disordered. It's worth remembering that aspects of almost any type of personality can be found within the pages of the diagnostic manuals. What matters is that you get the help you feel you need.
What if they've made a mistake in my diagnosis?
Strictly speaking, a medical diagnosis can only be given by somebody who has been medically trained - usually a GP or psychiatrist. However, because the term 'borderline' comes from psychoanalytic thinking, you may have this term applied to you by someone who has not been medically trained. There is a recognised and very worrying danger of mistaken diagnosis. Mental health professionals sometimes fall into the trap of applying it to people they have difficulties dealing with, perhaps because of a conflict of personalities. Within the NHS, you are entitled to ask for a second opinion, although this doesn't necessarily mean that your request will be granted.
If you feel your GP or psychiatrist has misunderstood you, and you are having problems getting the help you need, you may find an advocate useful. (But then, who advocates for sociopaths?)
Will I get better?
It's often thought that personality problems are too deep-seated to be treatable. But this is contradicted by evidence that symptoms may get better as people get older. Some research suggests that after 10 to 15 years, or so, between 50 to 75 per cent of those diagnosed with BPD no longer display enough of the symptoms to meet the criteria for the diagnosis.
Recent research suggests that talking treatments and medication can reduce the behaviour problems associated with the problem. Day-care programmes may also be useful. (The idea that society itself is screwed up from the ground up never ever enters into the equation.)
What causes borderline personality disorder?
The causes of BPD are still not clear and research is still continuing.
Often, those diagnosed with BPD turn out to have had very traumatic experiences in childhood. You may have experienced the early loss of a parent, or be a survivor of childhood sexual or physical abuse . You may have been neglected as a child. Such difficult life events are very common in those diagnosed with BPD. The problems associated with BPD may become much worse following a stressful experience, for example, the loss of a loved one or an established routine, such as a job. (And here you have it, folks! The vague admission that society itself and the treatment inflicted upon the subject is actually responsible for the condition!)
An American psychiatrist, Dr Leland Heller, believes that BPD is a 'neurological illness', probably a form of epilepsy, and that it can be managed with appropriate medication and talking treatments.
There is a school of thought that suggests that some people may be genetically predisposed towards BPD, and that if those people are exposed to negative nurturing in childhood, they are more likely to develop symptoms.
What sort of treatment can I get?
Talking treatments (Reprogramming and Reeducation)
Psychotherapy is a relatively long-term talking treatment that aims to find the roots of present feelings and behaviour in your childhood. The relationship you have with the therapist is seen as an important reflection of your past and present relationships. Exploring this relationship can help to break unhelpful patterns of behaviour. The in-depth nature of psychotherapy can make it particularly appropriate for those diagnosed with BPD.
Some forms of counselling are quite similar to psychotherapy. Psychodynamic counselling, for example, places great emphasis on childhood experience.
Cognitive behaviour therapy is a more short-term treatment that aims to tackle practical, everyday difficulties with problem-solving techniques. It works towards identifying negative thinking patterns and replacing them with more positive ones.
New therapies have been developed which combine elements of cognitive therapy and psychotherapy. Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) and cognitive analytical therapy (CAT), have been found to be particularly useful for people diagnosed with BPD.
People often have high expectations when they enter a talking treatment. It's worth bearing in mind that therapists aren't miracle-workers and that change can take time. If you find it painful to be separated from others, you might want to think about how you will manage breaks in the therapy early on. You could ask when the breaks will occur so that you can look at how you will cope beforehand. There may be times when you think your therapist is wonderful and times when you may hate him or her. It may help you to express these feelings, so that you can look at them together. If you are interested in pursuing a talking treatment, you could talk to your GP about seeing someone through the NHS, or getting treatment subsidised.
Therapeutic communities
The NHS runs some inpatient therapeutic communities that specialise in treating clients with personality disorders. In a therapeutic community, staff and residents share responsibility for tasks and decisions. If you decide to go to into a therapeutic community, you will need to be prepared to talk about your life with others before the group decides whether to give you a place. This can be hard, especially if it's the first time you have talked in front of a group in this way.
Once part of the community, you would be encouraged to talk about your feelings about others' behaviour in group discussions. (I rarely have difficulty in this area, myself. It is just that others find my feelings disturbing and unsettling. Usually, they feel this way because they have conflicts about admitting their own responsibilities regarding their participation in societal dysfunction!) This may seem difficult at first but it can be very beneficial. It may give you the opportunity to see how others react to you and what you say. You can then think about what you like and what you want to change about yourself. Some, but not all communities may offer you individual therapy and, possibly, medication. (Ah, the omnipotent potential of mind altering substances to modify perceptions regarding the shortcomings with the root of the problem: wrongs committed by family and society.)
Alternative therapies
There are a whole range of alternative therapies, which some people find useful, from acupuncture to yoga. (Finally, something that actually makes sense!)
What about medicationt? (The panacea o all of life's problems!)
Antidepressants
Research has found low levels of the chemical serotonin in people diagnosed with BPD who have committed impulsive acts of violence. Some of the antidepressants work to increase levels of serotonin.
Antipsychotics
Antipsychotics (also referred to as major tranquillisers) may be prescribed to help with feelings of unreality or paranoia. They should be prescribed with caution, as they can have distressing side effects, especially in long-term use.
What happens if I can't cope?
In response to demand from mental health service users, crisis services have been developed in some areas. In these services, the emphasis is on talking treatments and informal support. A crisis service may be somewhere safe to stay, or an out-of-hours telephone helpline. ("I called suicide prevention and they put me on hold", Rodney Dangerfield.)
Hospital
At times of great distress, you may feel you need to be somewhere safe. This could mean going into hospital. It can be upsetting to be around others who are in pain, however, and you may feel a lack of privacy and support. Service-user or patient groups based in the hospital can be useful and supportive.
Most admissions are voluntary. However, if you are regarded as a danger to yourself or to others, but you don't wish to go, you may be admitted compulsorily under the Mental Health Act 1983.
Guidelines on treatment
The National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) and the Department of Health (DoH) have recently issued guidelines with the aim of enabling people with a personality disorder to get appropriate clinical care and management from specialist mental health services. The guidelines, titled Personality disorder: no longer a diagnosis of exclusion, can be found on the Internet (it is best to type the title into your search engine, as the document appears in several places). NICE (The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) will also be publishing clinical guidance on the treatment of BPD - due to be published by the end of 2008.
What should family and friends do?
It's important not to see someone purely in terms of their diagnosis. People with BPD can have very low self-esteem, and it can help them enormously if you can emphasise the positive parts of their personality.
It can be extremely difficult caring for someone with BPD. They may try very hard to control you, because they feel so out of control of themselves. There may be periods when they refuse to talk to you or when they rage at you. This can be very painful and may make you feel powerless.
You may find that the person panics and perhaps reacts very angrily when you want to leave or to go somewhere. They may beg you to stay, or hurl words of abuse. It can help if you focus on how they are feeling, rather than trying to argue them out of their fears.
(Or, as in my case, they may want you to stay the fuck away from them!)
Looking after yourself
It's very important to look after yourself and to remember that you need time to yourself, if you are to care for others. If you are experiencing problems - for example, if the person calls you many times a day at work - it's vital to set down some boundaries. It might be important to decide how often you will be available. This can be hard to stick to, especially if you are being threatened, and you may need to enlist other people's help. Offer to help draw up a list of numbers the person could call when they feel afraid.
A person diagnosed with BPD may feel that they have no control over their feelings; they may blame you for everything. (Even though, as we have seen above, society in general is a guilty for the condition as anyone else, namely the victim of the condition.) Make sure you have someone you can turn to, to help you look at what is happening and make sure you don't take the blame for absolutely everything. Nobody deserves to be abused. There are organisations that can help you talk about the situation and make decisions about what you're going to do. You may need support in the form of a self-help group or some kind of talking treatment.
In an emergency
If you feel that the person you care for is a serious danger to themselves or others, you might need to think about the last resort of compulsory admission to hospital. The 'nearest relative' as defined under the Mental Health Act 1983 can request a Mental Health Assessment from a social worker specially trained in mental health law. The social worker would decide, with the help of medical advice, what the treatment options should be and whether the person needs to be detained.(See, the victim of the original abuse becomes the victim of societal labeling, forced sedation and incarceration... for a condition which is the result of misdeeds of society in the first place!)
Move to End "Internet Neutrality": Blow to Bloggers. By Sherwood Ross | |
| URL of this article: www.globalresearch.ca/index. | |
| Global Research, January 26, 2009 | |
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If the cable and phone companies that transmit Internet data are allowed to charge higher rates to some producers for faster service the result will be "a ten pin strike against political freedom," a prominent legal authority warns. That's because the change will enable the wealthy to "quickly take over the high speed transmissions (for their trash commercial content) just as they completely monopolize radio and TV, and just as their incredibly greedy profit-seeking has had a very deleterious effect on print journalism," writes Lawrence Velvel, dean of the Massachusetts School of Law at Andover. Velvel's plea for "internet neutrality" comes in his new book "An Enemy of The People," subtitled "The Unending Battle Against Conventional Wisdom(Doukathsan)." Essentially, he writes, the proposed change is an "attempt by the wealthy to make the internet into yet another repository of their power " Under the new scheme sought by transmission firms, Velvel writes, "large companies would pay more, no doubt a lot more, in order to have their messages, videos, audios, and any other content transmitted rapidly. The rest of us peasants, who could not afford to have our content move fast, would pay less and have it move more slowly." "One can be sure that the average guy with something he wants to say will be relegated to lower speed transmissions," Velvel writes. "Blogdom, and the use of the internet by average people for political purposes, will likely be as good as dead." According to Save The Internet.com(STI), "The nation's largest telephone and cable companies ---including AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner---want to be Internet gatekeepers, deciding which Web sites go fast or slow and which won't load at all." "What we have here," Velvel explained, "is a bunch of unregenerate capitalists, who think that nothing else is important except trying to make as much as they can conceivably get away with. As with the oil companies and the investments banks, huge profit margins and scores of millions annually for their chairmen and CEOs isn't enough for them. They want more. Always more. Nothing else matters to them. The pipes (transmission) companies are no different." Velvel pointed out, "The average guy can't be published in a newspaper, and cannot afford the money to pay to be on radio or television. His voice is limited. The great benefit of the internet, the reason it bade fair to be the new version of the poor man's printing press (which is what picketing and marching were once called), is that it gave everyone a chance to have his or her say in a way that was immediately available to anyone who found it or knew of it and wanted to read it." "That is why tens of millions of blogs sprang up," Velvel continued, "with (at least) many thousands of them being on political subjects, and with blogdom sometimes having major political impacts." Others besides Velvel have also commented on efforts to destroy net neutrality. As a consequence of a 2005 decision by the Bush Federal Communications Commission, Internet Neutrality, "the foundation of the free and open internet---was put in jeopardy," STI says. "Now cable and phone company lobbyists are pushing to block legislation that would reinstate Net Neutrality." "Without Net Neutrality, startups and entrepreneurs will be muscled out of the marketplace by big corporations that pay for a top spot on the Web," STI says. "If Congress turns the Internet over to the telephone and cable giants, everyone who uses the Internet will be affected," STI continues. "Connecting to your office could take longer if you don't purchase your carrier's preferred applications. Sending family photos and videos could slow to a crawl. Web pages you always use for online banking, access to health care information, planning a trip, or communicating with friends and family could fall victim to pay-for-speed schemes." STI warned the consequences of abandoning Internet Neutrality would be "devastating." "Innovation would be stifled, competition limited, and access to information restricted. Choice and the free market would be sacrificed to the interests of a few corporate executives." For interviews with Dean Velvel, contact Sherwood Ross at sherwoodr1@yahoo.com. Email Dean Velvel at velvel@mslaw.edu | |
"Politicians never hear the verse; they only hear the chorus."
My friend, songwriter Gretchen Peters, took solace in those words the night her song, "Independence Day," was used to introduce Gov. Sarah Palin to the RNC. She had just finished a performance in Ft. Worth, TX, and her song -- about a woman in a desperate situation -- had been used by a politician who didn't know what it was about, and who doesn't relate to women like Gretchen and me.
She put it best herself: "But the verse is the story. The verse is the message."
http://www.ppaction.org/ct/B1_ERl71bTM9/GretchenPetersVideo
Gretchen decided to do something remarkable: she donated the proceeds she received from "Independence Day" -- from the moment Gov. Palin took the stage that day until Election Day -- to Planned Parenthood. Supporters like Gretchen -- and like you -- are the reason we have a strong, vibrant organization that helps people throughout the world. I can't ever thank you enough. http://www.ppaction.org/ct/3p_ERl71bTMI/GretchenPeters
Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich (D) of Illinois was arrested by federal authorities on Tuesday morning and charged with corruption, including an allegation that he conspired to effectively sell President-elect Barack Obama's seat in the United States Senate to the highest bidder. A 76-page affidavit from the United States Attorney's office in the Northern District of Illinois says Mr. Blagojevich was heard on wiretaps over the last month planning to "sell or trade Illinois' United States Senate seat vacated by Pres-elect Barack Obama for financial and personal benefits for himself and his wife."
