Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45072 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Synopsis
One of the more serious and hard-to-treat mental problems, borderline personality disorder (BPD) is also one of the most dangerous. Seventy-five percent of people with BPD will attempt suicide at some point, and ten percent ultimately take their own lives. Living with the symptoms of BPD is obviously a terrible burden for anyone, but receiving a BPD diagnosis and negotiating the necessary treatment can itself be a bewildering and painful process.This compassionate book offers people with BPD a detailed guide to the disorder and a point-by-point plan to the treatment and condition-management process. The book is organized as a series of answers to questions common to BPD sufferers: What is BPD? How long does it last? What other problems co-occur with BPD? Overviews of what we currently know about BPD make up the first section of the book. Later chapters cover several common treatment approaches to BPD: dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), mentalization-based therapy (MBT), and medical treatment using psychoactive drugs. In the last sections of the book, readers learn a range of day-to-day coping skills that can help moderate the symptoms of BPD.

Customer Reviews

Wonderfully balanced - a source of information, hope, and coping strategies
This is one of the best books about BPD I've read. It's up-to-date, nonjudgemental, and above all balanced. The authors are compassionate towards those with BPD, but don't shy away from mentioning the devastating impact the disorder can have on loved ones. They provide a good overview of different theories about BPD, and different treatments that may help, acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses of each. They don't oversimplify anything, yet they take care to explain things in a way a lay person can understand. They stress the need for professional diagnosis and treatment, yet encourage the sufferer to take control by reading up on the disorder and learning some healthier coping skills.

The first half of the book provides information about BPD, including a discussion of possible causes, and an excellent chapter on the prospects of recovery. The authors not only believe that recovery from BPD is possible (and back up their opinion with recent research findings), they look at common obstacles to recovery, and explain which symptoms you can expect to improve first. The chapter on self-harm is also intelligent and sensitive, with a very good understanding of the different reasons why people may hurt themselves.

The second half of the book combines information on treatment with some self-help suggestions for dealing with suicidal thoughts and overwhelming emotions. One drawback here is that the information on accessing treatment - as you might expect from an American book - only refers to the US and Canada. However, the information on what different treatments involve and on how effective they are is excellent. The main treatments discussed are DBT, mentalisation-based therapy (which I hadn't even heard of) and medication. The coping strategies are drawn mainly from DBT and are a fantastic starting point. The authors also point you in the direction of further resources, namely Get Out of Your Mind and into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder (Diagnosis & Treatment of Mental Disorders).

I really recommend this book as a source of information, hope and coping strategies for all those affected by BPD.

Packed with info, advice & sensitive discussion of BPD
Anyone who has tried to get information on BPD will know that there is still stigma attached to the condition and the large amount of information floating around to reinforce this stigma really doesn't help matters!

I have read several books on BPD and this is by far one of the most compassionate. Many of the other books on BPD label people with BPD as manipulative and lacking in self-awareness which not only strenthens the negative associations of the condition but also just add to the frustration of sufferers. BPD is a complicated condition and the writers of this book really understand the dangers of labelling people with BPD as 'manipulative' or dismissing attempts at suicide as mere cries for help. As well as addressing various misinformation, the book provides practical and accessible background information and offers advice on coping strategies too.

The book will be useful for anyone diagnosed with BPD or anyone who thinks they have symptoms or anyone who just wants to find out more maybe because they know someone with BPD. The book is really well-organized and you don't have to read it cover to cover to get a good grasp of things. Overall, really good reading - it deals with BPD sensitvely and is never judgemental or condescending.

A highly recommended book that should have been published years ago!