https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditi...-disorder/

Personality disorders 

A person with a personality disorder thinks, feels, behaves or relates to others very differently from the average person.

There are several different types of personality disorder.

This page gives some information about personality disorders in general, linking to other sources for more detail.

Symptoms of a personality disorder

Symptoms vary depending on the type of personality disorder.

For example, a person with borderline personality disorder (one of the most common types) tends to have disturbed ways of thinking, impulsive behaviour and problems controlling their emotions.

They may have intense but unstable relationships and worry about people abandoning them.

A person with antisocial personality traits will typically get easily frustrated and have difficulty controlling their anger.

They may blame other people for problems in their life, and be aggressive and violent, upsetting others with their behaviour.

Someone with a personality disorder may also have other mental health problems, such as depression and drug addiction.

Other types of personality disorder will have different symptoms.

Find out more about diagnosing personality disorder on the Mind website

Mild, moderate and severe personality disorders

The way personality disorders are diagnosed is changing. Instead of being diagnosed with a type of personality disorder (such as borderline personality disorder), you may be diagnosed with mild, moderate or severe personality disorder, with particular personality traits. A mental health professional can talk to you about what your diagnosis means.

Treatment for a personality disorder

Treatment for a personality disorder usually involves a talking therapy and can also include other types of therapy and medicine.

Talking therapies

This is where the person talks to a therapist to get a better understanding of their own thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

Treatment can last several months or years, depending on the severity of the condition and other problems the person may have.

As well as listening and discussing important issues with the person, the therapist may identify strategies to resolve problems and, if necessary, help them change their attitudes and behaviour.

Therapeutic communities

Treatment at a therapeutic community may be offered to some people with personality disorders. Therapeutic communities (TCs) are places where someone visits or stays for an intensive form of group therapy. The experience of having a personality disorder is explored in depth.

The person usually attends for a number of weeks or months.

Medicine

Medicine may be prescribed to treat problems associated with a personality disorder, such as depression, anxiety or psychotic symptoms.

For example, moderate to severe symptoms of depression might be treated with a type of antidepressant called a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI).

Read more about the treatment for borderline personality disorder.

Find out more about treatments for personality disorders:

• Mind: treatment for personality disorder
  
• Rethink Mental Illness: personality disorders
  

• Mind: helping someone diagnosed with personality disorder
  
• Rethink Mental Illness: personality disorders
  
• Royal College of Psychiatrists: personality disorder
  
  

Pip has just given me permission to create and sticky this thread to this part of the forum.  It'll be me announcing every forum member's birthday and your opportunity to join me in wishing them the best day possible.

If you want your birthday announced, it's easy enough to do and within your profile here on the forum, you just have to put your date of birth into your profile and "make it public" or "add to calendar" or something like that lol  Doing it yourself means that our admins have one less thing to do too.

Happy birthday to everyone on their special day!

If you want to have an avatar click on User CP which is on the left hand side above Your Journey.  

Scroll down to Your Profile, again on the left side of the page where you will see Change Avatar on the list.  

Click on that and in the middle of the page is Upload Avatar with Browse to the right and click on that.  

From there click on the image you want then click on Change Avatar.

https://www.dailymail.com/news/royals/ar...viour.html

SARAH VINE: Harry and Meghan's new life is already starting to unravel. What a pair of quitters and these are the real poor victims of their behaviour

By SARAH VINE, COLUMNIST
Published: 01:01, 16 September 2026 | Updated: 10:51, 16 September 2026 

Was there ever such a pair of quitters as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex? 

First, they leave Britain after just 18 months of royal life; then they abandon practically every project they embark on Stateside; now they’re back here again for unknown reasons and already, just a few weeks into their new life, things are starting to unravel.  Do they never look before they leap? 

Do they always act on impulse, like headstrong teenagers? 

Do they never plan a few moves ahead, or try to solve their problems instead of flouncing from one place to the next?

Every decision they make seems to be taken on a whim, with little or no thought for the long-term consequences for them or those around them.  But this time they have surpassed even themselves. They’ve pulled the children, Archie and Lilibet, out of their new prep school after just two days. Two days! Barely time for the poor mites to work out which peg is theirs and find their way to the loo and already they’re being whisked away.  Security concerns around the school run, apparently. Ha. More like bad planning, as usual, coupled with Harry and Meghan’s characteristic impulsiveness. And, as some have pointed out, this time it might well work in their favour.  After all, isn’t Ravec (the body that oversees VIP and royal security) currently ‘re-evaluating’ the Sussexes’ security status? 

The safety of the children would no doubt be an important consideration.  Either way, it’s done. The kids are moving schools and all the time, expense and effort that presumably went into preparing parents, children and staff at the first place for their arrival has now been wasted. The whole process will now have to be repeated elsewhere.  As for Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, their poor little heads must be spinning.  Not only have they just been pulled out of the only life they’ve ever known in sunny California and dumped in the middle of the Cotswolds just in time for the English winter, they’ve now also had to endure all the stresses of starting a new school in a new country, only to have the rug pulled out from beneath them.  It’s one thing for Harry and Meghan to blindside their staff and other members of the Royal Family, as they have time and time again.  Only this summer, they suddenly announced their return, shocking everyone from the King down he reportedly found out about their move the Sunday before they announced it.  But it’s quite another to do that to their own children. How anxiety-inducing must it be for poor Archie and Lilibet? 

Their parents’ behaviour has already excluded them from getting to know their cousins or having a meaningful relationship with their British relatives, and now this. What a mess.  Children look to their parents for stability and wisdom. Harry and Meghan are supposed to be the grown-ups and yet they are behaving like children themselves, chopping and changing at the first sign of the slightest obstacle. Besides, kids understand so much more than we give them credit for.  They will likely be feeling very scared and confused by this sudden decision, especially if they’ve picked up that it’s a security issue.  Talking of which, if the duke and duchess were really so worried about their own safety and that of the children, why would they post pictures of family life in their new countryside idyll?

Isn’t that kind of thing completely counterproductive and a gift to anyone with bad intentions towards them? 

There is no need for it, and it serves no purpose other than to expose them to unnecessary scrutiny and potentially attract unwanted attention.  No one in the Press has identified either the Sussexes’ new home or the children’s school, out of respect for their right to privacy and safety and yet they themselves have strongly hinted at their location to anyone with even basic local knowledge.  That is no one’s fault but their own. And no doubt if, God forbid, something were ever to happen, the couple would blame everyone except themselves. It’s such classic Sussex denial.  One can only conclude that they are either very stupid or they like causing a melodrama.  Let’s not forget that time in New York in 2023 when they issued a dramatic statement claiming to have been involved in a ‘near-catastrophic car chase’ (a highly loaded term given Harry’s family history) which, on closer inspection, turned out to be them getting stuck in a traffic jam.  Granted, they were snapped by a few paparazzi but never in a manner that put anyone in any danger.  As for their school-run complaint, I won’t reveal the name of the establishment, but I have several friends whose children have attended that school over the years, and I would say two things. Firstly, it is a brilliant, very well-established institution, and more than capable of dealing with the security concerns of high-profile parents. Second, even the most cursory enquiries would have revealed its one and only disadvantage: The local traffic, which is famously murderous.  It’s so bad I have one friend who used to leave the house at 6.30am just to get her kids there on time. Houses within walking distance are fought over by millionaires and exchange hands for eye-watering prices.  Parents endure it because the school is so good. But it is notoriously a nightmare traffic-wise.  So why, if they were going to uproot the entire family and send their children there, didn’t the Sussexes check the practicalities of their decision with some of the few remaining friends and supporters they have in Britain?

After all, Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, own a six-bedroom converted farmhouse in the Cotswolds complete with ‘party barn’, tennis court and swimming pool, which they purchased in 2021 for around £3.5million.  Edo (as he’s known) attended schools in the area. By all accounts the Sussexes remain on very good terms with the Mapelli Mozzis. They would have been more than able to tell them the lie of the land and flag up any potential pitfalls concerning school runs.  Perhaps they didn’t bother to ask. Or perhaps the fact the decision to return to Britain was taken so on the hoof just meant there was no time.  It seems they did the dry run in August, when everyone is on holiday and the roads are relatively clear which makes you wonder about the quality of some of the security advisers they’re using.  Or perhaps Prince Harry is just so used to the VIP treatment he simply forgot that as mere mortals there are no motorcycle outriders to clear the way through civilian traffic. Well, all I can say is welcome to the real world, Sir. Not always as fun or as easy as it looks, is it?

I loved school up until I left primary school as it was a small school and ju  Myst from my street there were seven of us in the same year.  My problems started when I started at a local comprehensive as I was separated from my girl friends and I only knew a couple of boys from the primary school.  Thankfully I made new friends and still saw friends out of school.

Unfortunately I started getting bullied by older girls and never found out why so I started dreading going to school.  It was okay during lessons, it was lunchtime, morning and afternoon breaks that were difficult.  My friends always had my back but it was the times when they weren't with me.

I was incredibly shy and was scared to tell my parents and teachers as I thought it would make it worse.  My parents knew something was wrong ad tried to get me to talk.  I was also afraid they would think I was being silly or was trying to get out of going.  It only started to ease a bit as a couple of girls were laughing about what they were doing - she and I went to different schools as she was in the last year of the 11+ where we lived.  My sister overheard the conversation, I don't know where they were other than they were out, and she had words with them.  Whatever was said worked but by this time my mental health was already suffering.

I joined last night as I am struggling to find anybody I can trust enough to talk honestly about how I am feeling.

https://www.dailymail.com/news/royals/ar...D-KAY.html

Decoding the King's striking declaration on Harry and Meghan and why royal insiders tell me they are already 'exasperated' by couple's behaviour since returning to Britain: RICHARD KAY

By RICHARD KAY, SENIOR EDITOR-AT-LARGE
Published: 01:00, 8 September 2026 | Updated: 16:55, 8 September 2026 

Some will see it as an act of kingly statecraft, a timely shot across their quasi-royal bows. To others it is a vital sign that Prince Harry’s and Meghan’s presence in Britain will not be allowed to destabilise the monarchy.  What is unquestionably clear, however, is that less than two weeks after their return to British shores, one thing remains unchanged: Megxit still means Megxit.  The decisive move by the King strongly supported, I am told, by Prince William means that just because the couple are home there will be no softening of attitudes nor any dilution of the uncompromising view of the late Queen Elizabeth that they could never be ‘half-in, half-out’ royals.  That the unprecedented announcement should come on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the Queen’s death will be lost on no one, including her grandson, Harry.  This official affirmation of his and Meghan’s continued status as non-working royals is the first since their bitter departure more than six years ago.  It is also timely, with a flurry of key royal events imminent, including Prince George’s first day at Eton College.  The letter, issued in the name of the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Benyon, the King’s most senior aide, is a rigid reminder that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to be treated as ‘private citizens’ while in Britain, and do not represent the Royal Family.  Nor can they use their HRH titles which, Lord Benyon emphasises, ‘remain in abeyance’.

Should there be any lingering doubts among Sussex supporters or indeed the couple themselves that returning to the UK might lead to a more flexible approach, with the couple wanting to ramp up their charity work, such hopes look wildly misplaced.  The Lord Chamberlain may have drafted the official communique, which has been sent to members of the Government, the military and Lord Lieutenants, but the content is very much in line with Charles’s sentiments.  In practical terms, it was designed to make clear to those who are involved with royal visits that any engagements carried out by the Sussexes will be in a private capacity.  And it shows that the outcome of the so-called Sandringham Summit in 2020, which led to their departure, still stands.  The language and the icily formal tone of the draft are striking. Stressing that the purpose of the letter was to ‘avoid doubt or confusion’, it says the couple do not represent the sovereign.  While any charity work they do ‘is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity’.

One passage gives the most distinct view of how this once-golden couple are viewed. ‘In short,’ the letter says, ‘their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.’

Reading between the lines, the only way to divine the directive on how they are to be treated is as a command.  Royal aides may insist that there is nothing controversial, nor new, about the letter’s contents adding that it merely sets out the position for all parties.  But the fact that Buckingham Palace needed to send the letter in the first place illustrates the degree of confusion and uncertainty Harry and Meghan’s sudden return to the UK has caused.  As one long-term friend of the King told me: ‘They didn’t need to issue guidance about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor when he ceased his royal life and gave up public duties, which suggests they have been spooked by the Sussexes.’

One factor that has raised concern at the highest levels, has been the way friends of Harry and Meghan have been spoon-feeding friendly publications with details about their plans. ‘They’ve only been back a matter of days and can have barely unpacked but we keep hearing how they want to step up their charity work which would inevitably raise their public profile,’ says one figure. ‘It’s exasperating.’

Talk, too, of the couple establishing some kind of rival court has also irritated figures close to the King.  The Lord Chamberlain’s letter, which he says was a response to ‘a number of requests for guidance’, should indeed be viewed therefore as a shot across the Sussex bows or at least across the bows of those pushing their agenda.  The problem, however, is that it is all very well telling organisations that any visits Harry and Meghan undertake should not be treated as royal engagements, but in the years since they left Britain that is precisely the way their appearances have been treated. Even their visits overseas have been crafted to resemble the kind of duties they carried out before they abandoned their royal life, often with the same protocols, such as paying respects in war cemeteries.  As Harry himself has often chosen to remind people not least in his battle to obtain taxpayer-funded security he has always been a royal.  Yesterday’s intervention will be seen as an essential move by the King to preserve the cohesion of an institution which was undermined in the first place by the Sussexes flouncing off to California.  And while it may not prevent the couple seeking out public-facing opportunities, it may change the way people react to them.  Of course, the letter leaves many questions unanswered. It does not address the issue of family events and when and where Harry, Meghan and their children might join private House of Windsor gatherings.  Nor does it offer any insight into the police protection Harry so passionately wants, with his children about to start at school and the potential risks of shuttling them to and from the same place each day.  Aware that such concerns may be raised, the Lord Chamberlain dodges it, writing: ‘Any operational security issues should continue to be directed to the relevant police authorities.’

However, he does acknowledge that accommodating the couple may be contentious and suggests that any questions ‘where recourse to public funds may be required, should be directed to Buckingham Palace’.

A sign, perhaps, that the King will intervene if he does feel Harry and Meghan’s conduct may not be in the monarchy’s best interests.  Many critics believe that although the letter was designed to draw a line under speculation about the couple’s future, there was a missed opportunity.  Removing them from the royal website [where they still feature but without their HRH titles] would have been the most significant gesture to separate them as non-working royals from the rest of the family,’ a former aide to the King said.

After their tours of Africa, Central America and Australia, where they were treated as huge royal stars, it might have been useful if the Lord Chamberlain had also sent a copy of his letter to world leaders too.

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditi...-disorder/

Bipolar disorder 

Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition where you have extreme mood changes. Medicines and talking therapy can help manage it.

Symptoms of bipolar disorder

The main symptom of bipolar disorder is extreme changes to your mood.

You sometimes have either:

• high moods (mania or hypomania) – for example, feeling very happy, excited or energetic
  
• low moods (depression) – for example, feeling sad, tired or hopeless
  

• you have extreme changes in your moods that last a long time or impact your everyday life
  
• you've been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and treatments are not helping (or speak to your mental health specialist if you have one)
  

• medicines to help stabilise your moods
  
• talking therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
  

• try to have a regular routine
  
• get plenty of sleep
  
• eat a healthy diet
  
• exercise regularly
  
• try to avoid and manage stress
  

• do not take recreational drugs
  
• do not smoke
  
• do not drink too much alcohol
  
• do not do shift work or work very long hours if you can avoid it
  
• do not fly at night or across time zones if you can avoid it
  
• do not drink lots of caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea or cola
  
  

• Local and specialist support groups (Bipolar UK)
  
• Online and local support groups (Mind)
  
• eCommunity online forum (Bipolar UK)
  
• Blogs sharing stories and experiences about living with bipolar disorder (Bipolar UK)
  
  

• Supporting someone with bipolar disorder (Bipolar UK)
  
• Helping someone else (Mind)
  
• Carers hub (Rethink Mental Illness)
  
  

• Bipolar UK
  
• Mind: bipolar disorder
  
• Rethink Mental Illness: bipolar disorder
  

• childhood trauma or abuse
  
• a stressful event such as relationship problems, abuse, the death of someone close to you or money problems
  
• recreational drugs such as cannabis or cocaine
  
• a parasite called toxoplasma gondii (which causes toxoplasmosis)
  

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/ho..._source=hs

How to Approach Conversations With Adult Patients Who Might Have ADHD: New Tools and Insights
Author(s)Leah Kuntz, Nona Kocher, MD, MPH

Key Takeaways

• Quintessence Psychiatry uses Mentavi's Diagnostic Evaluation to enhance ADHD assessments, offering a structured, objective alternative to traditional testing.
  
• Dr. Nona Kocher highlights the importance of open, exploratory conversations with patients, focusing on understanding rather than criticism. 
  

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/alcohol-use-disorder/

Alcohol-use disorder 

Alcohol-use disorder is drinking alcohol in a way that's harmful. People sometimes call this alcoholism. Treatment and support is available to help you cut down or stop.

Signs of alcohol-use disorder

Signs of alcohol-use disorder include:

• regularly drinking more alcohol than you mean to
  
• difficulty stopping or reducing the amount you drink, even if you want to
  
• feeling guilty or remorseful after drinking
  
• people you know being concerned about your drinking
  
• continuing to drink even when it's causing problems for your health, work or relationships
  
• craving alcohol, for example, needing a drink when you wake up in the morning
  
• needing increasing amounts of alcohol to get the same effect
  
• getting withdrawal symptoms when you stop or reduce drinking
  

• anxiety
  
• difficulty sleeping
  
• feeling and being sick (nausea and vomiting)
  
• a racing heartbeat, sweating and shaking (tremor)
  
• seeing, hearing or feeling things that are not there (hallucinations)
  
• confusion
  
• seizures
  

• you're worried about your drinking
  
• you want help to stop drinking
  
• you get symptoms like anxiety, difficulty sleeping, sweating or feeling and being sick when you try to stop drinking
  
• you're worried about someone else's drinking
  

• shaking visibly
  
• being unusually restless, irritable or upset
  
• confusion (for example, not knowing what day it is)
  
• seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there
  
• having a seizure
  

• talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
  
• medical help for withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking alcohol, either at home or in hospital
  
• help to prevent relapses (where you start drinking again), such as medicines to reduce alcohol cravings
  
• support to make positive changes in other areas of your life, such as your relationships
  
• help accessing other forms of support, for example with employment or housing
  

• acamprosate or naltrexone, which help reduce alcohol cravings
  
• disulfiram, which causes unpleasant effects (such as a headache, feeling sick, high body temperature and heart palpitations) when combined with alcohol
  

• serious accidents or injuries while drunk
  
• alcohol poisoning
  

• liver damage such as alcohol-related liver disease
  
• increased risk of many different types of cancer
  
• high blood pressure and stroke
  
• heart problems including cardiomyopathy and heart failure
  
• acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis
  
• mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression
  
• alcohol related brain damage
  

• The risks of drinking too much
  
• Drinking alcohol while pregnant
  

• keep a daily diary of how much you're drinking, or try a drink tracking app
  
• to cut down, try alternating alcoholic drinks with soft drinks, or choose lower strength (ABV in %) drinks
  
• tell people you're stopping drinking so they can help keep you on track
  
• avoid situations where you know you're likely to drink
  
• find different activities to do when you'd usually drink, such as trying a new hobby
  
• try joining a support group
  

• NHS Drink Free Days – App Store
  
• NHS Drink Free Days – Google Play
  

• Alcoholics Anonymous
  
• SMART Recovery
  

• Al-Anon UK
  
• SMART Recovery: family and friends programme
  
• Adfam
  

• Help for family and friends (Alcohol Change UK)
  
• Caring for someone with alcohol or substance misuse issues (Carer's Trust)