Journey To Recovery

Everyone deserves to be treated equal, regardless of gender and preference. It's not a privilege, it's basic humanity.

People who may have Borderline Personality Disorder must show a pattern of behavior that includes at least five of the following symptoms:

- Extreme reactions—including panic, depression, rage, or frantic actions—to abandonment, whether real or perceived.

- A pattern of intense and stormy relationships with family, friends, and loved ones, often veering from extreme closeness and love (idealization) to extreme dislike or anger (devaluation).

- Distorted and unstable self-image or sense of self, which can result in sudden changes in feelings, opinions, values, or plans and goals for the future (such as school or career choices).

- Impulsive and often dangerous behaviors, such as spending sprees, unsafe s*x, substance abuse, reckless driving, and binge eating.

- Recurring suicidal behaviors or threats or self-harming behavior, such as cutting.

- Intense and highly changeable moods, with each episode lasting from a few hours to a few days.

- Chronic feelings of emptiness and/or boredom.

- Inappropriate, intense anger or problems controlling anger.

- Having stress-related paranoid thoughts or severe dissociative symptoms, such as feeling cut off from oneself, observing oneself from outside the body, or losing touch with reality.

Seemingly mundane events may trigger symptoms. For example, people with BPD may feel angry and distressed over minor separations—such as vacations, business trips, or sudden changes of plans—from people to whom they feel close. Studies show that people with this disorder may see anger in an emotionally neutral face and have a stronger reaction to words with negative meanings than people who do not have the disorder.

Today is Children's Mental Health Awareness Day. These precious individuals are the future of this world. With the right guidance, our future leaders will lead us to a better tomorrow. Unfortunately, children are exposed to so many different life changing events at such an early age. Protecting their mental health is essential. Let's do our part in making sure our world will be in the best hands possible. For more information, please visit: www.kidsmentalhealthinfo.com

April is Counseling Awareness Month! Counseling may help one navigate through the many different challenges in life. With the help of counseling, no challenge is too big or too small. If you feel like life may be slipping away, do not be afraid to seek help. It can be a game changer.

Happy National Certified Nurses Day!!! We will never know how much you go through in what you do. But we thank you so much for all you do for those in need.