A new year begins: hypochondria possible side effect of mTBI

December 31, 2005: My New Year's resolution is to become more open about mild traumatic brain injury when need be.

MTBI is like having an imaginary friend. Some people will think I'm making up excuses, and am trying to deny responsibility to live a fuller life.

Actually I am trying to include the MTBIs and their associated behavioral, neurological and psychological affects on my life.

Yet the evidence shows that in many cases, borderline personality disordermight be comorbid with temporal lobe epilepsy i.e. might occur wrong with borderline symptoms.

The symptoms of borderline personality disorder are:

vulnerability vs invalidation

active passivity (tendency to be passive when confronted with a problem and actively seek a rescuer) vs apparent competence (appearing to be capable when in reality internally things are falling apart)

unremitting crises vs inhibited grief.

There are two important criteria involving borderline personality disorder:

the absence of psychosis (i.e., the ability to perceive reality accurately)

impaired ego integration - a diffuse and internally contradictory concept of self.

Dr. Kernberg is quoted as saying, "Borderlines can describe themselves for five hours without your getting a realistic picture of what they're like."

Now let's look at temporal lobe epilepsy(TLE):

The psychiatrists now call it "complex partial seizure disorder".

When medicated, the behavior of the person with TLE may appear to be schizotypal or even schizoid from time to time, due to the seizures and the medication (tegretol/carbamazepine).

However, with medication and a combination of cognitive behavior therapy (to know and learn how to manage one's behavior) and group therapy (to learn how to establish boundaries in relationships in a group setting), it is possible to control one's behavior with enhanced social conduct and social behavior appropriate to the patient's age.

Update: March 8, 2013

Over the past eight years, I've confirmed that temporal lobe epilepsy has been ruled out, which confirms hypochondria. However, through self-therapy I've managed the hypochondria.

Overall, there is indication of a mild general anxiety syndrome, which only arises when my body temperature rises when dressed warmly and indoors. The solution in such cases is to remove a jacket.

For most of my self-therapy, I use meditation to calm my mind so that I can develop insight about the root of my anxiety. Then it is possible to develop solutions which desensitize myself to the anxiety itself.

This is why I take pictures: it helps me take my mind off whatever is troubling me.

Since anger is often the root of anxiety, its "antidote" is patience — necessary to wait until anger is manageable — and love. Once the anger subsides, love helps me to be kind to myself and other people.

As well, regular exercise is important in reducing the symptoms of anxiety.

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Original post: December 31, 2005 2359H
Update posted: March 8, 2013