Tag Archives: dysfunctional families

When Your Child’s Grandparent is a Narcissist

We have looked at many articles concerning what it is like to be the child of a narcissistic parent (see below). But what happens when you, the child of a narcissist, go on to have children of your own? How does having children influence your relationship with your narcissistic parent? Having children of your own is probably the biggest wake-up call you will ever have in your life. This applies to members of most dysfunctional families, but children of a narcissistic parent are particularly susceptible to feelings of doubt and insecurity about their own skills as a parent. Not having … Continue reading →

New Year’s Mental Health Resolutions

Whether you suffer from a pre-existing mental health condition or just plain-old garden variety stress, why not try a different type of New Year’s resolution this year? The resolution to improve your mental health. There isn’t anyone who couldn’t benefit from taking steps to improve their mental health, just as we could all benefit from a fitness regime makeover from time to time. So what types of activities should we include on our Mental Health New Year’s Resolution? Number One would have to be a commitment to better sleep habits. Poor sleep underlines and exacerbates many health problems, both physical … Continue reading →

Looking after your Mental Health over Christmas

The holiday period can be a stressful time as families get together and old grievances move from festering mode into an outright screaming match. So how can you make this Christmas a better one in terms of your mental health? The key is to Be Prepared! If you have a history of unhappy Christmases with your family, the first option to consider is whether to see your birth family at all. Where considerable damage has been wreaked by a parent on a child, or by one sibling on another, and there is no hope of change, it can be preferable … Continue reading →

Families and Christmas: An Explosive Combination

Christmas is the season of good cheer, right? Well, for the most part it is. But for some people the holiday season is a time of verbal, physical and emotional abuse as families meet and “gifts” are exchanged. Often when we meet up with our parents and siblings at this time of year, there is more that the Christmas spirit bubbling away within us. In fact, the holiday season is a busy time for hospital staff and mental health workers alike. There is something about the expectations surrounding Christmas that elicits powerful emotions in us when those expectations are not … Continue reading →

The Wizard (1989)

“The Wizard” is the story of a dysfunctional family, trying, unsuccessfully, to set things straight. Fred Savage stars as Corey Woods, the thirteen-year-old son of Sam Woods (Beau Bridges). Sam has been married twice, and had sons Nick (Christian Slater) and Corey with his first wife. When he remarried, to Christine (Wendy Phillips) they had twins, a boy and a girl. Jennifer, the female twin, drowned, and the male twin, Jimmy, was the witness. Ever since then, Jimmy has suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome, and acts as though he has a mental disability. Sam and Christine divorced, and Christine took … Continue reading →