Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a psychiatric condition that affects nearly 2% of the general population, predominantly women. Symptoms of BPD include impulsivity, mood swings, unstable intense relationships and feelings of chronic emptiness. Research on BPD has lagged behind that on other mental health conditions, such as depression and psychosis, primarily due to the lack of evidence of effective treatment but also due to the stigma historically associated with the condition. Fortunately this situation is changing, with improved treatments now available and improved clinician/organizational willingness to engage with those with a diagnosis of BPD. This candid book collaboratively co-authored by a person recovered from BPD and a BPD specialist therapist is written specifically for people with BPD (with support teams, including family, friends and clinicians also likely to benefit from reading the book). This authoritative and easily readable guide provides a compassionate understanding of the condition, plenty of in-depth practical recovery strategies and credible and realistic hope for recovery. The authors draw from the latest research and share years of personal and professional experience that brings the book alive. Review comments from Vice-President, National Education Alliance for BPD and Director, Middle Path (BPD advocacy organizations) include "most down-to-earth, accessible book for people with BPD" and "tremendous and potentially life-changing gift".

1 - History
2 - How many people have borderline personality disorder?
3 - What is borderline personality disorder?
4 - Understanding borderline personality disorder
5 - Other problems or diagnoses found in association with borderline personality disorder
6 - What causes borderline personality disorder?
7 - Understanding self-harm
8 - Prognosis: do people with borderline personality disorder get better?
9 - Is treatment effective?
10 - Change
11 - Psychological treatments
12 - What to expect from the treatment
13 - First contact with health professionals
14 - Choosing a therapist
15 - Developing a therapy agreement
16 - Support network
17 - Assessment
18 - Treatment goals and treatment plan
19 - Therapy relationship
20 - Taking charge of your recovery
21 - Power struggles and beyond
22 - Prioritising your therapy focus
23 - Preparation for crises
24 - Medication
25 - Hospitalisation
26 - Is it our awareness that makes a difference?
27 - Is it what we do that makes a difference?
28 - Is it what we think that makes a difference?
29 - Is it what we feel that makes a difference?
30 - Is it what we do with emotions of anger, guilt and regret that makes a difference?
31 - Is it what we do with impulsive urges that makes a difference?
32 - Is it taking charge of our personal boundaries that makes a difference?
33 - Is it how we clarify our values and identity that makes a difference?
34 - Is it how we relate to ourselves that makes a difference?
35 - Is it how we relate to others that makes a difference?
36 - Is it how we create pleasure that makes a difference?
37 - Is it how we deal with 'flashbacks' that makes a difference?
38 - Is it how we deal with crises that makes a difference?
39 - Is it how we deal with our physical health that makes a difference?
40 - Is it how we deal with something 'larger than ourselves' that makes a difference?
41 - Notes to family and friends
42 - Concluding comments

Roy Krawitz is Consultant Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist with 25 years' experience in treating patients with borderline personality disorder as therapist, consultant, trainer, researcher and scientific author. Roy has provided borderline personality disorder therapy (DBT, psychodynamic and supportive psychotherapy) in a wide variety of healthcare settings. His published scientific research includes the effectiveness of therapy, the DBT program he leads and his borderline personality disorder training for professionals. This is Roy's fourth published book on borderline personality disorder, one of which (published by Oxford University Press) has also been translated and published in Dutch and Japanese. Wendy Jackson is currently employed as a mental health promoter for a national mental health organization, and is a freelance health auditor, quality manager and consumer advisor. Wendy is an ex-consumer of services for people with borderline personality disorder, having benefited from treatment implemented across inpatient, community and crisis services, and now has a robust history of recovery from borderline personality disorder. In her role as consumer consultant, Wendy has been actively involved in the setting up and delivery of treatment plans, running skills training and support groups for clients with borderline personality disorder and delivering borderline personality disorder training to professionals.