Celestina

I'm an adult who believes she has Adult Attachment Disorder. I also believe I had A.D. when I was a child, probably from infancy.

I was born to a mother who was under general anesthetic, was not breast fed, was fed "on a schedule" and still remember screaming to be picked up from my crib. Later I had terrible ear infections, and at 3, was taken to a hospital for one, where I had middle ear surgery without anesthesia. My parents were standing there in the room, and I was screaming for them, but they did not help me. Now I can understand that they were probably paralyzed with fear for me, and were convinced by the doctor that "this is just uncomfortable for her, nothing really painful that needs anesthesia." How dumb can people be? Doctors still do surgery like this, and some medical schools still that "infant children do not feel pain.

My father was emotionally and physically abusive to me, but he probably had A.D. as well as bipolar. I have a dx of bipolar disorder, rapid cycling. I have been married 3x to men who were emotionally abusive, and one was physically abusive. I have had many, but not all, of the symptoms of A.D. I was not a behavioral problem in school. But I have had extreme difficulty holding a job, and now am on Social Security Disability, for the last 3 years.

I have found Art Therapy to be extremely wonderful in helping me overcome A.D. For a year I did group Art Therapy at a local mental health drop in center for 6-8 hours a week. Now, I have 2-3 hours of individual A.T. per week. I take medication for bipolar disorder.