Category Archives: BPD-Related

Explores BPD: its stigma, its literary manifestations, its burdens on sufferers and their families

Hurt Like I Do

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Kathy

I get on a Randy Newman kick now and then. Today, playing a Newman cd while I was baking, I was struck by the song “Marie.” Lushly orchestrated, this version features a warm, romantic background, like so many Newman songs, belying … Continue reading →

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Mother, Daughter, Me, and Katie Hafner

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Kathy

A couple weeks ago, the Cleveland Plain Dealer printed my review of Katie Hafner’s new memoir Mother, Daughter, Me. I pitched it to the PD because the mother-daughter angle interests me, and, as it turned out, Katie and I have … Continue reading →

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Mother’s Day

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Kathy

This Mother’s Day made me feel sad. Our family’s last grandmother, my step-mother-in-law Grace, died last year. Also, the news all around us conveys so much grief for and about mothers—Sandy Hook, Boston, and now Cleveland’s horrendous news of abducted and … Continue reading →

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Dr. Phil, Jinda, and Me

Posted on February 16, 2013 by Kathy

I diagnosed a woman with borderline personality on Dr. Phil last week. First, let’s dispense with a mea culpa regarding Dr. Phil. During his first couple of seasons, I watched religiously, and, embarrassing as this admission is, I felt I was … Continue reading →

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BPD Causes, or, My First Use of the Word “Hypochondriasis”

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Kathy

A friend recently sent me an article called “Emotional Hypochondriasis, Hyperbole, and the Borderline Patient” about the etiology (causes) and symptoms of borderline personality disorder, especially relating to hypochondria. Despite their sometimes befuddling jargon, the authors clearly expressed empathy for … Continue reading →

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Richard Russo’s Difficult Mom

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Kathy

How could Richard Russo’s memoir Elsewhere not intrigue me? I’m already a fan. His novels Nobody’s Fool and Empire Falls, for example, tell heartfelt and funny stories about flawed, even infuriating, but ultimately sympathetic characters. Russo has mastered an assured, … Continue reading →

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You Always Hurt the One You Love

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Kathy

I’ve struck up an email correspondence with a reader named Mary, whose elderly mother has borderline personality disorder, and a psychiatrist named David Allen. In recent correspondence, Dr. Allen suggests that people with BPD show their love for family members … Continue reading →

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Difficult Moms

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Kathy

Whenever I talk about the subject of my book, at parties or with other groups, a few women around me begin to nod and then chime in with stories of their own mothers. I hate to malign moms, being one … Continue reading →

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Forgiveness

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Kathy

Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could’ve been any different. I’ve heard this quote about forgiveness many times. It’s one of Oprah’s favorites and apparently originated with the Buddhist teacher and writer Jack Kornfeld. I’ve always thought it was catchy … Continue reading →

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Oh, How I Hate to Get Up

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Kathy

In my childhood, my family owned one ball glove. With three girls, there was little need for more. When I played catch outside with my dad, I’d wear the glove, and he’d risk the softball stinging his fingers. He’d call … Continue reading →

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