Degenerated Intentions

As the author of Soaring and Crashing: My Bipolar Adventures, I indicated the beneficial effects of behavior-oriented psychotherapy.

Two things I have problems with are impulse control and decision-making. I tend to get all hung up in both sides of an issue and be unable to make a decision.

So, I'll spend an entire week, ruminating about what I'm going to do on the weekends. This self-rumination CAUSES depression.

Planning and problem-solving for the future is a good thing. But then, when you have the plan figured out, it's time to abandon all of the thinking about the future and how you might feel and so forth.

Regarding the impulse control: I have a tendency to throw away a relationship if I'm scared of what comes next (i.e., intimacy); or a tendency to purchase something no matter what the price such as spending as much for an item in shipping as I did for the item, just to get it to me faster.

Controlling our impulses takes careful, rational thought. It involves knowing through introspection that an action is impulsive, and restraint in following through with the impulse.

One of the key symptoms of the manic syndrome is spending too much money, and doing other things on impulse, such as starting a business, sexual promiscuity, and so forth.

Also, the inability to make decisions tends to accompany both the manic and depressive states (at least for me it does). A degenerative intention is whereby you have two sides of a decision and you fail to make that decision. You need to either decide whether it's "A" or "B," or, abandon the decision altogether. Find the pro's and con's of both sides and weigh them.

If it's just noticeable difference, then go with one side and stick with it.

This is my expose for today.