Treating Personality Disorders in the Elderly

When it comes to personality disorders (a broad category of mental disorders that includes paranoid, borderline and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder) there are a lot of factors that could potentially affect the intensity of the illness. Over time, personality disorders can change. Sometimes, the symptoms grow stronger, and other times they lessen. As a person suffering […] read more

The Borderline Personality Disordered Family

Declan’s sister and parents sometimes felt like they’d been fighting a war, one in which they had neither adequate training nor defense. Declan was 14 when signs of his personality disorder surfaced, beginning with fits of rage. He wasn’t a particularly big kid then, but he was strong and his uncontrollable anger frightened even him. […] read more

On July 23rd, 2014, posted in: Mental Health by Tags: , ,

Helping an Older Loved One With a Personality Disorder

Personality disorders can improve with treatment. However, sometimes when people are extremely stressed they may fall back into former habits of thought and behavior. This sort of off-and-on pattern is not uncommon. read more

On June 11th, 2014, posted in: Mental Health by Tags: , ,

May: National Borderline Personality Awareness Month

Carol M. became a mother in 1994. Her daughter was born in late July, when the weather liked to turn suddenly, from hot and sunny to thunderous and stormy on a dime. She laughed as she described her daughter, Shasta. “She was just like summertime,” she said. “Bright and happy one minute, dark and storming […] read more

How to Navigate Your Partner’s Borderline Personality

When Tim and Wendy first met, they hit it off incredibly well. Tim said looking at Wendy felt like looking at a female version of himself – she loved all the same things he loved, and even shared the same aversions. She was passionate and talented and had a rapier wit that Tim admired, and the […] read more

How to Come Out of the Closet About Family Mental Illness

It’s the thing we don’t even want to think about, let alone discuss with others. It’s the addiction, the chronic depression, the agoraphobia, the stint in the psych ward. When mental illness invades our homes we tend to isolate and wall off, either out of shame, or fear, or from simply not knowing what to […] read more

On March 13th, 2014, posted in: Mental Health by Tags: ,

Surviving My Borderline Mother

Surviving the Witch requires getting away. –Christine Ann Lawson By Julia St. Vincent I escaped my childhood like most traumatized children do, by disassociating from reality and fleeing into fantasy. There were window ledges and shade trees that called to me, closets and woods—places I could get away to dream. read more

Healthy Relationships and Borderline Personality Disorder

For those living in close relationship with a person who suffers with borderline personality disorder (BPD) it can become easy to lose perspective about what a healthy relationship actually looks like. The person with BPD often creates high levels of conflict in relationships and without being aware, engages in narcissistic behaviors. Below is a list […] read more

On September 14th, 2012, posted in: Mental Health by Tags:

Family History of Substance Abuse Linked to Majoring in Humanities

If your family has a history of bipolar disorder or substance abuse, your college major is more likely to be in the humanities or social sciences. On the other hand, having a sibling, parent or grandparent with an autism spectrum disorder makes you more likely to major in science or technology, according to a new […] read more

On February 11th, 2012, posted in: Mental Health by Tags:

Dealing with Borderline Personality Disorder in the Family

When there’s a family member diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, BPD, it can be frustrating, difficult, chaotic and distressing for all concerned. Often, family members are at a total loss when first attempting to deal with their loved one with BPD. But it doesn’t have to be this way. There are some effective ways to […] read more

On July 25th, 2011, posted in: Mental Health by Tags: ,