QUESTION:
Dear Dr. Heller,
Intense boredom combined with a lack of attention ability today lead me to your webpage "Coping With Boredom". Upon reading the first line, I became so bored I simply couldn't finish reading it. I was wondering if you had any suggestions on how to cope with this terribly debilitating affliction.
ANSWER:
If you look carefully at the criteria for
attention deficit
disorder and the
borderline personality disorder I suspect
you'll see some answers.
Those with the BPD have chronic sensations of emptiness and boredom that respond to SSRI
medications like Prozac. Eliminating boredom is so important that I will usually increase
the Prozac dose to make that sensation go away.
The lack of attention likely describes attention deficit disorder - which co-exists with
the BPD approximately 50/50 in my experience. Both diagnoses need to be treated.
