I've been noticed!

A couple of days ago I was contacted by a professor (actually 2 of them!) from Arizona State University. Apparently, when they read my lens about Mysophobia, they liked what they read because they asked me to contribute to a book! That's right! They want me to write about my experiences with Mysophobia so they can publish them in a book. I don't know much else yet. All I know is that it's going to be a text book for students and professionals. 


I wrote 4 pages this morning and then received a follow up email that made me glad it was just 4 pages. After reading the email, I have no idea if I'm writing what I'm supposed to be writing. So I emailed them and I guess I'll just wait for clarification. 


I'm so excited at this opportunity! Since I started writing about Mental Health, my biggest goal has been to educate and inform. Being able to contribute to this book meets that goal plus some. Not to mention I finally feel like a true writer.

Othercat's Spreading Awareness!

This month I'm busy spreading awareness for BPD. Four years ago congress officially made May the Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Month and I intend to make the most of it. This mental condition wreaks havoc on so many lives and yet it gets almost no attention. And no attention means less research. Less research means it's going to take even longer to understand this extremely complex disorder.

So what is Borderline Personality Disorder and why am I so interested in it? BPD is a very complex personality disorder that affects emotions, thoughts and actions. It's major symptoms include uncontrollable intense mood swings, black and white thinking, and self harm/suicide. A person with BPD never feels in control of themselves. They feel energetic and on top of the world one minute, and in the next they're depressed and wishing they were dead. They attach themselves to someone and refuse to let go, while at the same time they push them away. They can only see things as being good or bad. This includes people so if someone does one thing right, a Borderline is going to love them and put them on a pedestal. But if someone does something wrong, a Borderline is going to instantly hate them. All of this makes life very hard.


Did I mention I have Borderline Personality Disorder? That's why I'm such an advocate for it's awareness. I spend a lot of my time writing articles about BPD and explaining it to friends and family in hopes that people will start talking about it and give it the attention it deserves. And this month I'll be doubling my efforts. Will you join me?