The antics of Charlie Sheen, Bernie Madoff, and Mel Gibson demonstrate why character really does matter. As I state in the title of one of my books, character disturbance is the phenomenon of our age.

Trying too hard to get the other person to understand inevitably leads those in relationships with responsibility-deficient characters to feel angry, frustrated, and ultimately depressed and defeated.

The more often they’re held accountable by others, and the more often they’re expected to abandon their typical manipulative tactics for more appropriate behaviors, the more “practiced” [disturbed characters] become at being responsible.

Like many, I was touched by the heartwarming story of a man with a God-given talent and a budding career, who lost himself, his family, and fortune to a life on the streets from chronic substance abuse and found new hope during the Christmas holidays.

There are many not so easy to justify reasons for the prevailing attitudes toward mental heath issues, and as a result, genuine brain dysfunctions – despite their devastating impact on patients, families, employers, and friends – aren’t regarded in the same manner as diseases of the liver, pancreas or lungs.