2 Responses to Causal – iwantpopsicle

1. davidbdale says:

   March 23, 2021 at 7:47 pm

   Let’s see if I can help, Pop.
   First of all, looking back over your Definition Argument, it appears you’ve covered a lot of Causal ground already.
   —You describe in some detail the stigma faced by BPD patients showing up at emergency rooms.
   —You describe the situation of those with BPD in largely causal terms: “This can make it hard for sufferers to feel like they even know themselves, and have a hard time establishing their own identity, which is rapidly shifting and unstable.” The disorder CAUSES poor self-knowledge, identity failure, instability, etc.
   —You describe the effects of hospitalization treatments
   —You claim that stigma prevents help-seeking behavior
   —You describe the emotional responses (effects) that the insecurity and loneliness of BPD CAUSES.

   This is perfectly normal, not a criticism. The boundaries between Categorization and Causation are not firm and discrete. In this case, there will likely also be much material in your Causal Argument that isn’t strictly causal. As long as the arguments hold together as coherent essays, that’s not a problem.

   Now to the specifics of your question. What to do?

   ONE IDEA: I notice some marvelous material in the abstract to “Why go to the emergency room?”

   —The authors interviewed “six individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder who had at least 12 emergency department visits for reasons related to their mental illness within a 1‐year timeframe.” I mean, YIKES!
   —It would be hard to imagine any ER nurse, let’s say, no matter how compassionate, who would consider a patient who showed up every month claiming a medical emergency but who showed no visible injury as ANYTHING BUT a pain in the ass.
   —So, you might ask, and I would encourage you to ask, “Why is the Emergency Room the place patients suffering an acute bout of BPD go for treatment?” That is worthy of a Causal Explanation.
   —Your source has one explanation: “Unstable community management that leads to self‐ or crisis presentation to the emergency department often perpetuated emergency department use.” You can say it more clearly. The patients are looking for human interaction to assuage their loneliness. Crisis hotlines don’t suffice. Therapy is expensive or available only by appointment. When the patient feels suicidal or wants to harm herself, she goes where she’s always gotten attention: the ER.
   —But they don’t get good treatment there, partly because THEY KEEP SHOWING UP IN CRISIS.

   Another Causal thread to investigate regarding Stigma.
   The article “Stigma of PDs” again is an excellent source of ideas.

   —Borderline Personality Disorder BPD is among the most stigmatized of all personality disorders and is the most researched in terms of stigma.
   —Causal Question: How does that happen?
   —”Characterized by mood instability, extreme sensitivity to abandonment, impulsivity, self-mutilating behavior, and difficulty controlling anger BPD can lead to severe limitations in social relationships and functioning.”
   —It’s certainly not surprising that most people, valuing their own safety, and unwilling to take a chance on getting sucked into the irrational worldview of a BPD sufferer, would avoid intimate contact with an impulsive, self-mutilating, unstable person who, the minute she senses a lack of loyalty gets clingy and needy. That’s super-causal.
   —Another extremely causal claim: “People with BPD are often seen as annoying and undeserving, WHICH RESULTS IN inadequate treatment and help.”
   —So now, we have individuals who have trouble making friends, whom health care workers don’t consider truly ill and therefore underserve. Can they expect better treatment from law enforcement when their unpredictable behavior makes them a public disturbance? The answer from your source: “People with BPD can have frequent contact with law enforcement due to anger and suicidality, leading police to feel frustrated, angry, and powerless in interactions with BPD individuals.” Pretty much what they get from the ER nurses. Frustration and powerlessness.
   —Police might also buy into the stereotype (creating stigma): “An officer’s frustration might be intensified when he endorses the stereotype that people with personality disorders are intentionally troublesome.”

   I hope these are helpful suggestions. One more note about this same source. It may have the most helpful References section I’ve ever seen. Did you give it a good look? IT USES BOLD TYPE TO CALL OUT THE MOST PERTINENT CLAIMS IN THE MOST RELEVANT ARTICLES! Check it out (pages 6 and 7)

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2. davidbdale says:

   March 23, 2021 at 7:48 pm

   Remember, this is a conversation. If this is helpful, and you want to keep being helped, be polite and let me know.

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