Q: I would like to know more about kleptomania — the early signs someone has it, the behaviors that characterize it, when it starts, and how it affects a child who continues with it through adulthood. Do kleptomaniacs believe that stealing is wrong? How can it be treated? A: It’s important to make a distinction. [...]

Q: My husband and I have been married for 10 years. About eight years ago we split up. During that time, I was with another man and he was with another woman. But now we are doing great and have one child. The problem is that here and there my husband becomes distant and tells [...]

Q: I have been in a relationship with my boyfriend for a year and eight months. During most of this relationship there has been constant arguing and fighting. My boyfriend is lacking in maturity on many levels. But I don’t know how to deal with this. We got together when I was dealing with a [...]

Q: I can’t imagine I’m the only one facing this type of challenge, but I’ve never seen a question like this asked on this site before. My mother was abusive to me. She was mostly mentally abusive, but the abuse escalated to physical abuse during my senior year of high school. When I was struggling [...]

Q: I’m quite sure my mother is cheating on my father with a male friend. I have very confused feelings about this. When I first found out, I was surprised at how little it seemed to affect me. I felt horrible for my father, but at the same time I felt almost happy that my [...]

Q: I am 22 years old and in a four-year relationship. My girlfriend is two years younger, and at one point she had been living with my dad, step-mom, and brother when her mother and she were fighting. During this time (about three months), I later found out that my dad had raped her one [...]

Q: My mother-in-law is very near death, perhaps within weeks. We have had a very combative relationship from the first day my husband brought me to meet her over 28 years ago. She has never accepted me. What I have had the most difficult time with is accepting my husband’s complacency about the friction between [...]