Borderline

I thought I could trust her. I noticed that she had something to say about everybody that she knows. She used to embarrass me in front of other people. I thought it was just a joke. I kept my silence. As a mental health counselor, I felt the need to gather more evidence to support my hypothesis. For more than 6 years, I gave her the benefit of the doubt. I noticed that she becomes too dramatic. She has no close friends. I felt that I was the only person who stayed as her friend the longest. She appears to be nice but once I turn my back, she had a lot to say. The latest that she did, was to call my “pilay (pee-luy)” in English this means cripple. I don’t deny that. I am a person with disability. But to change my name to “cripple” is a cruel behavior.  It was an assault to my personality and honor. It was discrimination. But this strengthened my hypothesis, she is a Borderline. I am glad I decided to stop being her friend. People with Borderline personality disorder can be destructive on a personal and organizational levels. They are intelligent and excellent actors. Suddenly you’ll notice other people starts asking you, “is it true that _____. I was told you are ___.” or suddenly your friends start avoiding you for no apparent reason, start searching for clues. One of you friends are talking behind your back bad mouthing you. The foregoing are examples of how borderlines operate. They are masters of deceit. 

Ableism

Seriously, what makes you think, you are normal?

Bus Stop

While at the bus stop, a homeless person, carrying his plastic bag full of stuff that he carries around with him. His clothes were slightly torn. It seemed that he had not taken a shower for few days or more. I can actually smell him. He approached me and asked, “do you mind if I smoke?” I said,”Yes.”  He smoked his cigarette away from the waiting shed. While observing him, he gave me a polite smile. I thought, “he is a respectable man.”

A man in a nice suite sat beside me. He looked educated. He was carrying a laptop. Nice shiny leather shoes. Well groomed. I can even smell the strong perfume that he was wearing. He looked respectable. He looked at me. I nodded to acknowledge his gaze. He turned his head away and started lighting his cigarette.  I noticed that he put it away when another person sat beside. So, I started moving away from him. Actually, he is not alone. I’ve encountered a lot of people like him. They thought people owed them respect.

Taos Pusong Pasasalamat Po!!!

To all the mothers who carried us in their tummies for about nine months; who love us no matter how we turned out to be; who are ready to sacrifice their lives for us, thanking you is not enough for the life that we have today.

For all the mothers who had gone by, I extend all the gratitudes and graces that you deserved by being good mothers when you were still with us.

To all the mothers in the world, Happy Mother’s Day!!! 

Are you neurotic or psychotic?

With all the craziness going on around these days, it has almost become an effort to stay sane. At work, there is an increase on the number of people requesting for mental health services. As I assess and evaluate their circumstances, I have come to realize that there is just a very thin line differentiating people we call “normal” from the people with mental health issues. If one would take time to read the DSM-IV TR, there is no doubt that you will see yourself in one of the diagnostic criteria.