Author Archives: Kathy

Re-Stigmatizing BPD

Posted on August 10, 2010 by Kathy

There’s been a little dust-up going on partly in response to my post Stigmas, Statistics, and Borderline, where I mentioned that the website BringChange2Mind, created by Glenn Close to help reduce the stigma of mental illness, leaves out personality disorders and … Continue reading →

Posted in BPD-Related, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

The Far Frontier

Posted on August 7, 2010 by Kathy

So I pulled out another favorite Weekly Reader book that over the years I’ve muddled in my mind with Fear in the Forest (see previous post). Written by William O. Steele (illustrated by Paul Galdone), The Far Frontier takes place … Continue reading →

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Fear in the Forest Redux

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Kathy

At Half Price Books a while back, I ran across a pristine copy of Fear in the Forest, an old Weekly Reader favorite of mine, complete with its original cover. I purchased it for $10.00 and intended to give it to … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

More Literary BPD!

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Kathy

  The sexually voracious Kirsten Munk (1598-1658), consort of King Christian 4th of Denmark, was terrified that, first, her lover Otto Ludwig would leave her, and then that she would lose her beloved handmaiden Emilia. She was incapable of empathy and showed no … Continue reading →

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Sarah Makes Up a Word

Posted on July 21, 2010 by Kathy

I don’t care much for Sarah Palin, but I love her new word “refudiate.” Jimmy Kimmel compares her to Don King — “She just makes words up!” “Refudiate” is an example of a portmanteau, a blend of two words to make a … Continue reading →

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Diagnosing at a Distance

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Kathy

Borderline personality disorder is alive and well on the internet these days, what with the shenanigans of Mel Gibson and Lindsay Lohan. Googling Mel and borderline just now, I found lots of links, including a diagnostic blog entry on the Huffington … Continue reading →

Posted in BPD-Related | 10 Comments

Enough Already

Posted on July 18, 2010 by Kathy

I love To Kill a Mockingbird. I really do.  But am I the only one who’s heard enough? The 50th anniversary of the novel’s publication has spawned endless radio, TV, online, and magazine stories; in all of them, very, very sincere … Continue reading →

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It’s Bertha’s World. We’re Just Living in It.

Posted on July 11, 2010 by Kathy

I take communion every week to a lady named Bertha. Although she can’t always remember exactly how old she is, she consistently cites 1912 as the year of her birth. So I feel confident that she’s 97 years old, soon … Continue reading →

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Pessimism 101

Posted on July 6, 2010 by Kathy

This time of year always reminds me of my mom’s negativity — a quality I now associate with her undiagnosed BPD. Every year, every single year, as the 4th of July approached, my mom would find an opportunity to sigh that “summer is … Continue reading →

Posted in BPD-Related | 2 Comments

Do People with BPD Lack Empathy?

Posted on July 3, 2010 by Kathy

The research is all over the place on this question. Though “lack of empathy” is a usual textbook symptom of BPD, some researchers believe that people with the disorder have a peculiar sensitivity to others’ emotional states. I don’t intend to … Continue reading →

Posted in BPD-Related, Uncategorized | 3 Comments