If you are in crisis, get help now!
To anyone suffering with MENTAL ILLNESS You are one badass mother because nothing is more terrifying than battling with your own mind every single day.
This website is meant for people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), for their families and people that love them, and for anyone else that is interested in learning more about BPD. The website will also touch on other forms of mental illness, such as Panic Anxiety Disorder or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The content on this website will be many forms, such as technical articles and research, blogs by me, blogs from others and visual images that refer to the above topics. I will also have “visitors” such as practitioners that work with people who have BPD and other people with BPD that may chime in from time to time.
If you have Borderline Disorder, I hope that this website will be a place where you can come and receive hope. It is so important that you are properly diagnosed and that you find a good psychiatrist and other mental health professionals that specialize specifically in the treatment of BPD. I would also highly recommend finding someone that is trained in Dialectical Behavioral Treatment a/k/a (DBT). If you need to be on medication, please do not feel ashamed or that it might not be a vital step in improving your symptoms. You may need to try more than one or two until you find a medication that “sits” well with your system.
It is not an easy path to struggle with the symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder. It is so worth it though, to gain more control over your life and for those who love and care about you, for them to learn more about how to help you. The tagline I chose for this website is "empathize, educate, advocate". In doing so, you will find a much more rewarding existence living with Borderline for you and your loved ones.
I am NOT a Doctor or a Clinician. I do not hold any degrees or specialties in dealing with BPD. I myself am a survivor (yes, I call myself a survivor as I did not commit suicide from this disorder!) and I have been through over 20 years of psychiatric therapy, talk therapy and DBT training in learning how to conquer my symptoms. It has been a long and at times a very rough journey but it has also been empowering to learn techniques and methods that help me get through my days almost symptom free.
What I want to share with you are two things: HOPE and KNOWLEDGE.
The rest we can experience along the journey from my book, “Searching For Grey”, my Facebook Page www.facebook.com/Searching-For-Grey, and this Website www.searchingforgrey.com.
Thank you for checking us out and I hope to hear from you on our Message Board.
YOU CAN DO IT!
With you on the journey,
Alice M. Pirola
Time to Reboot
It has been some time since I have posted a Blog or Update. I believe there are times when we need to take a step back and reboot. This has been that time for me. Since we ended the contract with the Publisher I worked for 3 years with on my book … I felt
SURVIVING MARRIAGE WITH A MENTALLY ILL PARTNER
July 5th marks the celebration of 33 years of marriage to my husband. I have done much reflecting back on those years recently. As in every life, there are memories of great joy and happiness, even those of pure bliss. Then there are times of sadness, loss, and great pain. When you live with someone
Part Three – Diagnosed With Mental Illness Now What?
If you have been following this series of blogs ‘Diagnosed With Mental Illness Now What’, you are aware how difficult this diagnosis can be to a person. You can find parts one and two of this series at these links: http://searchingforgrey.com/diagnosed-with-mental-illness-now-what/ and http://searchingforgrey.com/part-two-diagnosed-with-mental-illness-now-what/. Each and every year, millions of Americans find themselves affected by mental
PART TWO: DIAGNOSED WITH MENTAL ILLNESS, NOW WHAT?
The first Blog I wrote in this series discussed facing the diagnosis of mental illness and how to initiate yourself into this new world. Please refer to http://searchingforgrey.com/diagnosed-with-mental-illness-now-what/ . In this Blog, now that you have been diagnosed with a mental disorder I want to discuss getting your ‘ducks in a row’ personally. I want
DIAGNOSED WITH MENTAL ILLNESS, NOW WHAT?
Note: This is the first in a three part Blog Series on being diagnosed with mental illness. It does not matter if it is you, personally, receiving a diagnosis of mental illness, or your loved one. The acceptance and realization of the scope of that diagnosis can be a hard thing to swallow. I
THE DOORS OF LIFE
TRIGGER WARNING: SUICIDAL IDEATION There are many doors in life. There are doors we open with much joy and anticipation. Doors for love, marriage, a new job, the birth of a child, the start of spring after a long winter. We walk through those doors with hope and a willingness to grab hold of all
SEROTONIN SYNDROME
URGENT NOTE: Please see a doctor before starting or stopping a medication. Knowing the danger and symptoms of Serotonin Syndrome should help you and your caregiver(s) avoid a dangerous serotonin overload that could be lethal. For those of us who live with mental illness, taking psychiatric medication comes with the territory. This Blog may come
THOUGHTS ON GHOSTING
The very first time I heard the term “Ghosting” was when I worked part time at our local Boutique last year (2018). One of our employees never showed for her shift. She was a part time worker in her early 20’s. No effort to call-in sick, no communication whatsoever. We who worked there were concerned
THE THINGS WE SAY
I remember the childhood chant we used to say…”sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me”. We found in retrospect that this is not a true statement. I also remember my elementary school in the 1970’s. We were segregated, but not by color. There was a “special class” in its
Subsets of Borderline Personality Disorder
My last two Blogs focused on the different types of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and that it is a huge disservice to those of us who live with this disorder to lump us all together into a single category. The first Blog I wrote in this 3 part series was “Are You A Quiet BPD”.