Just remember...

War, recession, disease, death. With all the bad news circling around us in these times, it's not hard to take on a negative view of the world.




Yet, somehow, there always seems to be a silver lining to those stormy clouds. Sometimes you just have to look at it from a different angle...change your perspective.

And now...back to the daily grind of the average work week.

Still I Rise


You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

~ Maya Angelou

The Death-Bed

He drowsed and was aware of silence heaped
Round him, unshaken as the steadfast walls;
Aqueous like floating rays of amber light,
Soaring and quivering in the wings of sleep.
Silence and safety; and his mortal shore
Lipped by the inward, moonless waves of death.

Someone was holding water to his mouth.
He swallowed, unresisting; moaned and dropped
Through crimson gloom to darkness; and forgot
The opiate throb and ache that was his wound.
Water--calm, sliding green above the weir.
Water--a sky-lit alley for his boat,
Bird-voiced, and bordered with reflected flowers
And shaken hues of summer; drifting down,
He dipped contented oars, and sighed, and slept.

Night, with a gust of wind, was in the ward,
Blowing the curtain to a glimmering curve.
Night. He was blind; he could not see the stars
Glinting among the wraiths of wandering cloud;
Queer blots of colour, purple, scarlet, green,
Flickered and faded in his drowning eyes.

Rain--he could hear it rustling through the dark;
Fragrance and passionless music woven as one;
Warm rain on drooping roses; pattering showers
That soak the woods; not the harsh rain that sweeps
Behind the thunder, but a trickling peace,
Gently and slowly washing life away.

He stirred, shifting his body; then the pain
Leapt like a prowling beast, and gripped and tore
His groping dreams with grinding claws and fangs.
But someone was beside him; soon he lay
Shuddering because that evil thing had passed.
And death, who'd stepped toward him, paused and stared.

Light many lamps and gather round his bed.
Lend him your eyes, warm blood, and will to live.
Speak to him; rouse him; you may save him yet.
He's young; he hated War; how should he die
When cruel old campaigners win safe through?

But death replied: 'I choose him.' So he went,
And there was silence in the summer night;
Silence and safety; and the veils of sleep.
Then, far away, the thudding of guns.

~Siegfried Sassoon

Psych Series #6

Psych Series #6: Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Ever feel as though you are better than others? Do you fantasize about your own power, success, or attractiveness? Do you have trouble keeping healthy relationships? You may be experiencing symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Personality disorders involve personality traits that can cause an individual to feel and behave in a socially distressing ways. These traits can also limit a person's ability to function in a healthy way in relationships, at work, at school, and in other areas of his/her life. Personality disorders are categorized into three clusters:

• Cluster A: Odd or eccentric behavior (i.e. Schizoid, Paranoid, or Schizotypal Disorders)

• Cluster B: Dramatic, emotional or erratic behavior (i.e. Antisocial, Borderline, or Narcissistic Disorders)

• Cluster C: Anxious, fearful behavior (i.e. Avoidant, Dependent, or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders)

Narcissistic Personality Disorder as a mental health diagnosis first appeared in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). According to the DSM-IV-TR, this disorder occurs in approximately 2 to 16 percent of the "clinical population" and less than 1 percent of the "general population" (APA, 2000). Narcissistic Personality Disorder is more frequently diagnosed in men than women.

Signs & Symptoms

• Lack of humility

• Grandiose sense of self-importance
  

• Exaggeration achievements and talents

• Lack of empathy; unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others

• Fragile sense of self-esteem

• Appear "tough-minded" or "unemotional"

• Envy; being envious of others; believing others are envious of him/her

• Difficulty maintaining healthy relationships

• Sense of entitlement; unreasonable expectation of favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his/her expectations

• Arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

• Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

• Interpersonal exploitation; takes advantages of others to achieve his/her own ends

• Easily hurt or rejected

• Set unrealistic goals.

Clinical Picture

• "Individuals with narcissistic disorder appear to lack humility, being overly self-centered and exploiting others to fulfill their own desires. They often do not conceive of their behavior as being inappropriate or objectionable. Because they view themselves as 'superior' beings, they believe they are entitled to special rights and privileges (Townsend, 2003)."

• "Though often grounded in grandiose distortions of reality, their mood is usually optimistic, relaxed, cheerful, and carefree. This mood can easily change, however, as a result of their fragile self-esteem. If they do not meet self-expectations, do not receive positive feedback they expect from others, or draw criticism from others, they may respond with rage, shame, humiliation, or dejection (Townsend, 2003)."

Risk Factors

• Overindulgence and overvaluation by parents (i.e. parent living vicariously through child)
  

• Unpredictable or unreliable care-giving from parents

• Severe emotional abuse in childhood

• Being praised for perceived exceptional looks or talents by adults

• Learning manipulative behaviors from parents

• Excessive admiration that is not balanced with realistic feedback

Treatments

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - helps identify unhealthy, negative beliefs/behaviors and replace them with healthy positive ones

• Family Therapy - therapy sessions involving the entire family exploring conflicts, communication, and problem-solving to assist with relationship issues

• Group Therapy - therapy sessions with a group of people with similar conditions; helps with better relating to others; good way to learn how to listen to others, learn about their feelings, and offer support.

If any of these signs/symptoms/definitions sound familiar, you can find assistance or more information through your primary care provider, local mental health clinic, or on-line at mayoclinic.com.

Wishing you all peace, love, and happiness this year!

Funnyz