Posted by Ensign Viyara Nazeen (Scientist) in Holodeck 2- Therapy in Unusual Places Day 2, Part 1

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Janna Kingston (CNS) in Holodeck 2- Therapy in Unusual Places Day 2, Part 1

Posted by Lieutenant Benjamin Grey (Chief Medical Officer) in Holodeck 2- Therapy in Unusual Places Day 2, Part 1
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

“Hey, Viyara,” Janna said, hoping to draw her attention again.

When Janna said her name, Viyara looked at her, but didn’t say anything. Instead she waited for her to continue talking.

“Think of all of this as a turning point. From here on, you have new information with which to make different decisions. You get to decide what wasn’t working before a diagnosis and we can find better ways of handling stressors that work best for you.” Janna swept her gaze to Daggum and Ben for a moment including them once again in the conversation. “Doctor Grey, before you arrived I told Viyara that based on her symptoms and everything she’s spoken about and I’ve witnessed, I am comfortable diagnosing her with Borderline Personality Disorder.” She focused back on Viyara. “Now, treatment usually involves a multi-pronged approach. Given that it’s a complicated disorder and manifests a wide range of symptoms, there is no one medication that will ease all symptoms. You don’t seem to have a history of depression, so I’m not worried about treating that symptom, but many patients with BPD benefit from a mood stabilizer. I’d like to work to find one that works for you, with Doctor Grey’s help, because the goal is to lower the threshold for how intense our emotions are to us and how that in turn can make us overreact to even small stressors. There is a mistake people sometimes make in thinking that people with BPD have no feelings, but the opposite is usually true. We feel things so deeply that it becomes unbearable to manage. So what we’re going to do is calm in the input a little so that we have a chance to work with your mind to develop better coping strategies.”

With her eyes locked on Janna, Viyara had grabbed the hem of her skirt and was twisting it between her fingers. Of course only part of the information was new for her and still it felt like a lot to take in and to wrap her head around.

Janna offered a small smile. “I’m not gong to lie to you Viyara. It’s hard. It will require hard work on your part, and mine, and you will need to rely on your support system as you go through this,” she said, flicking her gaze to Daggum. “We’re going to continue with your sessions and I’m going to shift my approach ever so slightly to use what’s known as Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, which has been shown over and over again to be the most successful type of therapy that can give you a sense of control over the situation rather than feeling like you mind if controlling you.” She stopped there to gauge reactions and give an opportunity to ask questions.

~Janna Kingston, CNS

For a moment Viyara closed her eyes tightly while still holding tightly onto the hem of her skirt. Then suddenly she rose to her feet and walked towards the edge of the cliff and stared down at the rocks and the waves below. Letting go of her skirt she instead wrapped both her arms around her middle with the thumb of her right hand digging into the inside of her left elbow.

Without turning around Viyara asked after a few moments, “So the medication would numb my emotions?” Her voice was strangely flat and she felt as if her mind was almost blank.

~Viyara Nazeen

Daggum spoke up and said “No, no V… not numb. But they take some of the… the… intensity of ‘em down a few notches. I used them when I first got to the Academy. Helped me get a handle on my anger management. They won’t stop you from feeling, V… but they’ll help you to not feel lie you are drowning in your feelings.” and he looked at Gray and Kingston to make sure his description was at least moderately accurate.

Daggum

Benjamin shot a scowl at the Operations officer, although first-hand experience would undoubtedly be comforting and could be helpful, he never did like someone else explaining medicine from that point before he had a chance to explain. He smoothed his face immediately, however, feeling foolish “Commander Hammor is correct, most modern mood stabilisers are designed for each case, the neurological scans I took earlier will help to decide what to do in that regard.” He looked down “It will feel odd to start with but with time and some tweaks to the drug it will help with emotional balance” He looked at Janna “Ultimately it will be up to you and the counselor how this will be dealt with”

Dr. Grey - CMO

Janna nodded. “Because we’ll be talking regularly, especially for the first while, we can easily monitor any adverse reactions and adjust dosage as needed. But it’s up to you, Viyara. We can’t force you to take anything. It’s not a requirement. I can only say that in my experience, with the many patients I’ve had, medication is a very solid place to start. It’s a beginning, not the end of the process. It’s very possible that after we’ve done some work and you’re feeling better overall that you might not need medication anymore, that the techniques and coping strategies we build will be enough.But maybe not. It’s your life, not mine, nor Ben’s, nor Daggum’s. And while it’s easy for some to say remind someone that taking medication to help manage emotions is no different than taking something for pain or illness, it has to be something you choose, or else the entire process we go through will be meaningless.”

~Janna Kingston, CNS

With her back still towards them Viyara listened. She wasn’t even moving as she worked through all of that in her mind. When she finally lifted her head and gazed towards the horizon, she asked, “So I’ll still feel like me? It’s not going to change what I feel? Who I am? What I like?”

~Viyara Nazeen

Ben put on a thoughtful look, cupping his chin in his hand “That depends entirely on how the drugs will affect you, it will be a process of discovery and stabilization.” he said in a calm tone “You’ll still be you but we won’t know how you’ll feel until you start, this is a highly individualized medication.” He explained.

Dr. Grey - CMO