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Discretion is advised due to the heavy topics addressed below that may not be appropriate for everyone. We’ll uncover what self-harm looks like, why individuals with borderline personality disorder self-harm, the stigma about these behaviors, and what loved ones can do.

Curious about what goes into diagnosing Borderline Personality Disorder? This blog unpacks all the DSM-5-TR symptoms in depth!

Why focus on Borderline? In clinical practice, borderline personality disorder is common, as the pain these individuals experience often leads them to treatment. Outside of clinical practice, every time I open social media, there’s a hot topic of “borderline-this” or “borderline-that.

Historically, mental health and mental illness has held significant stigma, though we do seem to be moving in the right direction in destigmatizing it. However, there are still many misconceptions about therapy and therapists. Let’s talk about 6 myths that frequently come up in my experience as a psychologist.

Certain personality structures/disorders are prone to drama…but what is drama? And why is it called a Drama Triangle?

Personality disorders are among the most difficult disorders to diagnose, especially because they are very complex and can be quite tricky. Personality is like a gobstopper - there can be multiple shells and layers and colors before seeing the core. So how is a personality disorder actually diagnosed??

Cultural trends are often reflected in clinical work. People mold the culture, and culture molds the people. It’s a reciprocal dynamic, and in it, mental health is frequently found in the spotlight. Let’s talk about four trends that have popped up since the pandemic ended.

While simple on the surface, the more you dig into the Enneagram, the more complex and intriguing this conceptualization of personality becomes. For now, let’s start with the image of the Enneagram.

Harm to others surrounds us in a ridiculous amount of ways. The popularity of true crime, dark genres, horror media, etc., provides evidence that people are interested in this topic. And of course, there’s always some recent event that can remind us of the darkness people have in them. There is SO much I could say about this topic, but for now: What personalities are at the most risk to kill?

Psychodynamic theory views personality a bit differently than both the DSM and Millon. Visually, it’s helpful to see how this ‘Personality Axis’ contains other axes that work together… And as always, we use ice cream to help make this complex topic more ‘digestible!’