Q: My mother doesn't trust me and hasn't since I was really little. Though it's not her fault, I have a problem with lying all the time and it's usually to get myself out of trouble. I steal things from family members all the time and I regret all of it. My mum has got to the point where she isn't even talking to me. I feel so bad about what I have done but I can't think of how to fix it. I am also having many friend issues and have found myself crying on a regular basis. I am never happy with the way I look and I am constantly stressing over school, boys, friends and my appearance etc. My school grades have ...  
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Q: I just recently tried to take my own life... I was in ICU for 7 days almost died twice while I was there. I pulled through with no permanent damage to my physical self, but all of the emotions I’m dealing with are driving me batty... I'm delighted to be alive! I'm just noticing how many people I would have affected if I would have been successful with my attempt. Now I have all of these emotions going through my head like embarrassment, not knowing how to speak to my friends that saw me in the state I was in @ the hospital. All I want to do is live my life and not feel ashamed of my self or like people are feeling ...  
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Q: Over the past year or two, I have been experiencing a lot of symptoms indicative of borderline personality disorder, such as severe mood swings, dependency, separation anxiety, unstable self-image, and self-mutilation. I wondered what I should do. Should I seek help from a local psychologist/psychiatrist? I just want the chaos to stop. Many of the symptoms that you have listed are included in the criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder. However, given your age of 19 there could be other factors leading to these symptoms, such as hormonal changes, moving away from home to go to college, any kind of trauma history, etc. I do suggest being evaluated by a mental health professional and you may also benefit from a thorough medical evaluation. ...  
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Q: I am writing a paper on why teens cling to specific groups or cliques during their adolescent years, and I wanted a professional opinion on the matter. Please get back to me as soon as you can. Thank you! A: Adolescents are developmentally supposed to go through a process of breaking away from their parents (to a certain extent) to find their own identity. This typically begins in middle school and continues on into high school. During this time period their peers become more important and have more influence over them than their family much of the time. Teens have to separate from what they have always known to try new things and explore new identities. While trying to “find themselves” they are usually drawn ...  
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Q: I am 13 years old. I live with my grandmother and grandfather. I know I am severely depressed, I want to die. I feel that I am a burden to my family and that they don't need me. I want help but I don't want my family to be embarrassed or hurt in the process. I’m scared that if I ask my grandma for help, she won't do anything or that she will get mad at me. Everyone at school hates me. I know this because they tell me so everyday. I have no purpose for life anymore and I don't know how much longer I can take it. Last year I made up a story about a suicidal dream at a doctor ...  
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Q: If a therapist were to help me by using humanistic-existential counseling what would that involve aside from medication? A: Both of these approaches to therapy are considered “client centered.” That essentially means that the therapist does not impose techniques of analyzing the client’s past and making interpretations, or by attempting to change thought patterns or behaviors. The therapist’s main job is to show “unconditional positive regard” and acceptance toward the client which will allow the client to make their own choices toward improvement. They stress the worth, uniqueness and dignity of the client while helping them work toward taking responsibility for their own lives and working toward a higher ideal. Existential therapy is more focused on one’s search for meaning ...  
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Q: I have been married for 3 months and all of a sudden my husband says he's confused.. He doesn't know if he wants to be with me..He doesn't know anything about his life..He is 30 years old.. He doesn't know if he wants me to stay or leave.. I don't know what to do..please help A: It often happens when people make an important major purchase. They think about it long and hard. They do the research. They comparison shop. They save the money. They finally write the check and take the coveted prize home. Then they torture themselves with thoughts about whether they did the right thing and made the right choice. Sadly, this keeps them from enjoying the very thing they ...  
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Q: I met an amazing man last July, who had everything to offer me except honesty. He was descended royalty, was the former founder of a lending company, and even cancelled a trip to Europe that he had planned a few days after we met so he could "spend time with me." I came to find out that none of this was true, and from his childhood to this day I don't believe a thing that has happened in his life. I feel guilty for not trusting him, but I have very good reasons. The real kicker here, is that I was in Canada on vacation, and went back to New Jersey and maintained a long distance relationship. I paid for ...  
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Q: We can not seem to potty train our 3 1/2 year old daughter. She is speech delayed but in preschool. She is making progress but not with the potty training. We had little problems with other milestones such as giving up the bottle for the sippy cup and the to the regular cup. Also, she gave up her pacsifer pretty easy. But this potty training has me stumped. We have tryed the old potty bootcamp by taking her to the potty every 30 minutes or so. That resulted in a lot of accidents. We have tried asking her if she needs to go to the potty and most times she says no. We ...  
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Q. Hi! i am a paranoid schizophrenic. i had my first break when i was 16. my schizophrenia became drug resistant to a point that i was placed on clozapine in 1999. lately i have been experiencing some new symptoms and i am really scared to tell anyone even my doctor. there are times when i feel like i cant move and everything becomes frozen still. my brain cant process anything even the simplest of thoughts. i just want to scream out for help but there is just silence. a very scary silence. a fixed daze a state of calm but in the inside i am shouting, begging to be let out. but i cant communicate anything when i am in that state of ...  
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Q: I know that traumatic childhood experiences can influence sexual desires in adulthood. I was spanked as a child, probably to the point of abuse. But, I was never docile about it; I never accepted it as being normal or beneficial in anyway. I had a deep sense of embarrassment about it. It caused me to hate my parents, and instead of being sorry for anything, it always made me more hateful and revenge-seeking. I still don't completely trust my parents. I became suicidal when I was 14, trying to deal with growing up, their 'authority', and my distrust of them. I moved out when I was 15, and in with my elderly grandmother to help her out around the house. After 6 high schools ...  
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Q. I started a new job not long ago. During my first day when you are being introduced to people i noticed a man following me right by my side. i was introduced to him and soon after that i caught him looking me over. when i caught him he did not stop and my hair stood up on the back of my neck. it was just creepy. since then he has been relentless with phone calls and showing up at lunch. I have tried to politely put him off and it seemed to work. after about 2 weeks of not seeing him around or getting phone calls. he called and started yelling at me. he kept asking the same questions over and over and ...  
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