A Little Help For Our Friends

In this episode, Dr. Amy Todey joins Dr. Kibby to talk about the generational divide in modern families and how families can navigate difficult relationships. Are Boomer parents all narcissists? Or are the younger generations just fragile snowflakes? In this episode, Dr. Amy Todey joins Dr. Kibby to discuss how the generational divide in family relationships is deeper (and more fragile) than most...

This episode explores the biology and nature of anger in borderline personality disorder ("BPD Rage") and practical strategies family members, friends and partners can use to respond to BPD rage. Some people get angry, while some people just see red. In this episode, Dr. Kibby lifts the veil on what’s happening in the brain during these emotional storms and shares proven strategies to ma...

This episode describes how to respond when a teen, adolescent or young adult says they want to hurt themselves or kill themselves. It's horrifying when someone as young as 12-20 years old says they want to take their own life. When a teen or young adult confesses thoughts of hurting themselves or even hints at a plan, panic often kicks in...but what you do next can mean the difference between...

This episode explores the complexities of Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) and its impact on relationships. Are you close to someone who's charming but unreliable, impulsive, and manipulative? Dr. Kibby delves into the behaviors often associated with ASPD, a personality disorder that comes with a pattern of violating other people's rights, lack of empathy, and dangerous behaviors for thrill...

This episode dives into the mental health conditions and behaviors often mistaken for narcissism. When someone you love struggles with mental health and acts selfishly, the internet will immediately tell you that they're "a narcissist." However, you might be overlooking an underlying condition that just looks like narcissism on the surface. In this episode, Dr. Kibby reveals the five...

This episode breaks down what manipulation is and why it's so common in relationships with people struggling with mental health. It also gives actionable strategies for resisting the effects of manipulation. Have you ever been in a relationship where you found it hard to think for yourself? You somehow make decisions that are out of character and doubt yourself so much, you're not sure wha...

This episode talks about setting healthy boundaries in high-conflict relationships with people who have intense, dysregulated emotions. If you're in an emotionally charged or high-conflict relationship, you struggle to say "no" or assert yourself. If you’ve ever felt blindsided, criticized, or powerless in high-conflict moments with loved ones, this episode reveals the proven framewo...

This episode talks about how mood, especially dysregulated emotions, affect memory. It explains why people with emotional issues may have such a different perspective and memory for things that happened in the past. If you're close to someone with big emotions, you've probably gotten into an argument with them about something you remember...very differently than they do. You bring up somet...

This episode features a conversation with Kaytlyn Gilner, a mental health advocate and host of the "Not So Dumb Blonde" podcast. We delve into the complexities of complex post traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD), exploring the nuances and overlaps between these diagnoses. If you struggle with intense negative emotions, difficulty with intimacy, low self-este...

This episode gives a step by step guide to managing mental health crises like self-harm, suicide, or overdose threats. Most people feel completely helpless when someone they love descends into a mental health crisis but what if you had a clear, plan that could save lives? In this episode, Dr. Kibby shares the insider knowledge she gained from working in psychiatric emergency rooms and supporting f...

This episode gives parents of adults with borderline personality disorder insights into the experience of parenting someone with BPD and strategies for supporting their children. When your child struggles with intense emotions, it's heartbreaking for any parent. But when you're a parent of an adult child with borderline personality disorder (BPD), you're walking on eggshells trying not to make thi...

This episode explores the psychology of why we chase emotionally unavailable partners. Are you caught in a cycle of pursuing those who seem just out of reach? In this episode, Dr. Kibby delves into the psychology behind why we chase those who are hard to get. She talks about to main principles that drive this behavior, from behavioral economics to the neurobiology of attachment. She unpacks the at...

This episode is a conversation with Dr. Cam Caswell, "The Teen Translator," about how to actually connect to your teen who's struggling. Most parents feel powerless when it comes to connecting with their teens (or a loved one that ACTS like a teen), especially when they struggle with anxiety, depression, or other intense pain. In this episode, Dr. Kibby gets golden insights from Dr. Cam, an adoles...

This episode explains what schizotypal and schizoid personality disorders are, how they're diagnosed, and what treatments may work. Do you know anyone who marches to the beat of their own drum?...Even drums that no one else can hear? Most people with schizoid or schizotypal personality disorder are misunderstood, yet their unique traits can be seen as adaptive or even vital in the right contex...

This episode describes Paranoid Personality Disorder including how it's diagnosed, how it develops and how its treated. Most people don’t realize how deeply paranoia can shape a person's entire world and how misunderstood this silent struggle really is. In this episode, Dr. Kibby unpacks the complexity of paranoid personality disorder, revealing why so many suffer in silence, feeling unseen and al...

This episode explores the psychology behind the manosphere, online communities that promote men's power over women and resources. Most men today feel more disempowered and lonely than ever, despite the world’s vast commitments of power and wealth. In this episode, Dr. Kibby exposes the psychological roots of the Manosphere- a shadowy online movement that preys on young men’s humiliation, disco...

This episode delves into the silent struggle behind avoidant personality disorder, the crippling fear of rejection, and how treatment is finally making progress. Are you or someone you love trapped in a cycle of loneliness and fear of rejection? Recent research and real-life case studies reveal powerful new insights about avoidant personality disorder, this deeply misunderstood disorder that’s lik...

This episode explains what it means to be diagnosed with a "personality disorder," including how psychologists understand what personality is, when it's pathological, and how clinicians diagnose it. Is "borderline personality disorder" or "narcissistic personality disorder" a fancy term for "toxic"? In this episode, Dr. Kibby dives deeper into the nuance...

This episode is a conversation with Dr. Jonathan Avery about why addiction has so much stigma and how that has stopped patients and families from getting real help. Most people still view addiction through a lens of shame and judgment, yet experts like Dr. Jonathan Avery are transforming how we understand and support those struggling. Dr. Avery is Vice Chair for Addiction Psychiatry and Professor...

In this deeply personal episode, Dr. Kibby shares her transformative experience at a healing retreat for breast cancer survivors, centered around a special plant medicine. Can alternative forms of mental health treatment heal wounds that even therapy can't touch? In this episode, Dr. Kibby recounts journey of deep healing through plant medicine, facilitated by a supportive community of women a...

This episode describes what complex Post Traumatic Stress disorder (cPTSD) is, how it's diagnosed, and how it's different to similar disorders like PTSD and borderline personality disorder. This episode was inspired by the angry comments on Dr. Kibby's latest reel on spotting emotion dysregulation in borderline personality disorder. When someone has a history of childhood trauma and th...

This episode is an interview with Mike Meaney , CEO and founder of One Small Step that provides peer support to people with mental health and addiction crises. He discusses his own personal recovery journey that inspired him to become a certified peer. Most of us underestimate how critical peer support can be in mental health and addiction recovery- until we hear stories like Mike’s, who turned hi...

In this episode, Dr. Kibby breaks down the psychology behind the "Man-Child Syndrome," when men stay emotionally immature and avoid real responsibility. Do you know a grown man who clearly wants to stay a boy forever? Maybe he's fun, charismatic, adventurous and creative but...he runs away from adulthood. He's afraid of commitment, avoids responsibilities, and expects everyone el...

This episode shares five mindset shifts that helped Dr. Kibby stop chasing toxic relationships and finally find a real life partner. How do you know when you've found "the one"? Disney movies and rom coms aside, how do we even figure out who should we spend the rest of our lives with? Dr. Kibby breaks down the five giant shifts in perspective that led her to the right husband: choosi...

This episode is an interview with Erin Lin, the director of the movie "Rosemead" starring Lucy Liu and Lawrence Shou. How do you turn a haunting true story about family mental illness into a national conversation about stigma? This is the third and final episode of the series diving into the movie "Rosemead," a moving true story about how a Chinese immigrant mother (played by Lucy Liu) faces schiz...