My, I'll call them mental health team psychiatrist, therapist and GP, have suggested a residential hospital for DBT and I would like to know from others who have been through this WHAT HAPPENS!!!
"I laugh, I love, I hope, I try, I hurt, I need, I fear, I cry. And I know you do the same too so we are not that different you and I.
You'll be surprised to know how far you can go from the point where you thought it was the end.
I haven't had DBT in an in-patient setting although I was offered it but I guess they teach you the same basic principles.
DBT can actually be very helpful, and certainly in the community you would have a group therapy skills session & an indivual practioner that you would see, say once a week.
In the skills group they teach you different modules, the core module is mindfulness which is taught throughout, and then there is interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation & distress tolerance.
In each of these modules you will learn different techniques and different things about the module topic and basically you can put them in to place to help you cope with difficult things in your life without resorting to previous coping mechanisms such as self harming or binging etc.
You would also fill in a diary card to record how your week has been & what skills you have used, whether they've helped or not.
If you google 'DBT self help' there is a really good site that comes up and that has more information on DBT.
i noticed your location, are you going to the Retreat? (i'm from over Harrogate way *waves*) lthe Retreat ooks like an amazing place. i've never had DBT before so can't comment, but the Retreat is a therapeutic community and i was in one of those (was gonna go to the Retreat if couldn't get into Main House), it was really good. such incredibly hard work, but to be honest it saved my life - and pretty quickly, too. i mean, if you consider the way you've behaved your whole life, then you spend a year in one of these places and things drastically improve, while it may sound like a long time, it's not, really.
i'm not sure what will happen now. practically speaking, it will depend on your PCT. your PCT may already have a funding agreement with the Retreat, since the Retreat is in York (hey, i just realised, my PCT is the same as yours. dude. ). if they don't, you will probably be referred to the Retreat, and you may visit and talk to staff there, and then decide if you want to go ahead, then they will apply for funding. you may then require an assessment with a specialist (the one who did mine was from Bootham Park Hospital and he was really good) just so they can tick a box for the commissioners stating the PCT would be justified in funding the treatment. then once that's out the way, you can really get to work with finding out lots about it all.
this is all assuming you're going to the Retreat. if not, substitue "Retreat" with the actual hospital. try not to be scared, it sounds daunting but it's really not so bad.
DBT can be really helpful. i found it helpful...but then again you will probably find their are others who found it useful. you really have to just try it for yourself
i noticed your location, are you going to the Retreat?
Yes it will be the Retreat, they have not said how long for and they are hoping to get funding from the PCT. I'm concerned about having social anxiety though and having to deal with other people.
"I laugh, I love, I hope, I try, I hurt, I need, I fear, I cry. And I know you do the same too so we are not that different you and I.
You'll be surprised to know how far you can go from the point where you thought it was the end.
One of the main principles of DBT is accepting yourself as you but recognising you need to change. You have to agree to stop all "therapy interfering" behaviours such as drug taking/self harm/suicide attempts, and you fill in diary cards every day rating your emotions and what skills you used.
Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back, everything is different…
you once called your brain a hard drive, well say hello to the virus.
