Maybe all those annoying holiday songs are getting on your nerves, but there is a lot of research to suggest that listening to music that conveys a certain mood can in fact lead to a change in emotional state.

I've had quite a few clients who have used this strategy with success: when you are stuck in a certain mood, listen to some mood incongruent music (i.e., music that conveys the opposite mood from the one you are in). For example, if you are sad, listen to something upbeat. If you are angry, listen to something soothing. Just don't get pulled into that latest Evanescence song!

How to Cope Using Music

For the past several months, both here on the blog and in our BPD forum, we've been having a conversation about the name "borderline personality disorder," the stigma associated with the name, and whether a name change could help reduce stigma. Now that the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the DSM-V) is drawing closer, this is an important conversation to be having!

This site is not the only one that is generating interest on the topic. Check out this article by Elizabeth Bogod on stigma and BPD published on the Borderline Personality Disorder Today website.

Ms. Bogod has also started a petition targeted at the chair of the DSM-V task force to ask for a name change. If you want to sign the petition, take action here.

As the holidays approach, lots of people with BPD (and people with BPD in their families) struggle. Holidays are complicated-- there are so many expectations that we should be "happy," that families should be together, and that joy prevails. But what if you're not all that happy, or if family is a major stressor?

Here are some tips on surviving the holidays for BPD families. Hope these help get you through what can be a very difficult time.

This Veteran's Day got me thinking about the unique challenges that military service (or the military service of a loved one) could present to someone with BPD. Long absences with deployment, uncertainty about living circumstances, and the stressors of the military could be very difficult for someone with BPD.On the other hand, the structure and routine of military life could provide comfort.

Readers, do you have experience with BPD and the military? What issues have you faced?