Understanding and Treating Borderline Personality Disorder: A Guide for Professionals and Families

By Perry D. Hoffman and John G. Gunderson

Book Overview

Understanding and Treating Borderline Personality Disorder: A Guide for Professionals and Families offers both a valuable update for mental health professionals and much-needed information and encouragement for BPD patients and their families and friends. The editors of this eminently practical and accessible text have brought together the wide-ranging and updated perspectives of 15 recognized experts who discuss topics such as

- A new understanding of BPD, suggesting that individuals may be genetically prone to developing BPD and that certain stressful events may trigger its onset
- New evidence for the success of various forms of psychotherapy, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), in reducing self-injury, drug dependence, and days in the hospital for some groups of people with BPD
- Pharmacology research showing that the use of specific medications can relieve the cognitive, affective, and impulsive symptoms experienced by individuals with BPD, as part of a comprehensive psychosocial treatment plan
- New resources for families to help them deal with the dysregulated emotions of their loved ones with BPD and to build effective support systems for themselves

Yet much remains to be done. Research on BPD is 20 to 30 years behind that on other major psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Despite evidence to the contrary, much of the professional literature on BPD continues to focus on childhood trauma, abuse, and neglect as triggers for BPD-to the detriment of both patient and family.

Families of people with BPD must deal with an array of burdens in coping with the illness, often without basic information. The chapters on families and BPD give voice to the experience of BPD from the perspective of individuals and family members, and offer the hope that family involvement in treatment will be beneficial to everyone.

Above all, this book is about the partnership between mental health professionals and families affected by BPD, and about how such a partnership can advance our understanding and treatment of this disorder and provide hope for the future.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1585621358
• ISBN13: 9781585621354
• Release Date: February 2005
• Publisher: American Psychiatric Association Publishing
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.6" x 9.1"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Highly Recommended for Clinicians

This book contains practical guidelines for treating Borderline Personality Disorder. Dr. Gunderson is one of the handful of top experts in the country who truly understand how to treat BPD. I highly recommend this book to clinicians seeking broader, accurate understanding of this highly treatable disorder. Thank you! Tami Green www.borderlinepersonalitysupport.com

Review of "Understanding and Treating Borderline Personality Disorder

A very good technical resource for those dealing with a family member who has BPD.

Brillant

Ce collectif est utile et réconfortant à la fois. Avec beaucoup de simplicité, d'empathie et d'humanité, les auteurs laissent la parole aux spécialistes et aux patients confrontés au trouble borderline. Clair, professionnel, argumenté, en un mot brillant, " Understanding and treating Borderline Personality Disorder " fait toute la lumière sur une maladie encore méconnue en France. A lire absolument.

The best general introduction to BPD

There is a terrible glut of misinformation on BPD. Many books on the subject are seriously flawed, and the Internet is worse than useless. Searches for BPD are more likely to reveal "hate sites" put together by estranged ex's than anything with a scholarly or clinical basis. I strongly recommend this book to anyone affected by this terrible disorder. It is balanced, readable, and based on the best available research. Gunderson and his co-authors discuss the nature of BPD and treatment options without demonizing either those who suffer from BPD or those who care for them.

A straightforward discussion of how to live with, care for, treat and help borderline patients

Professionals John Gunderson M.D. and Perry Hoffman Ph.D., with the aid of other expert contributors, present Understanding And Treating Borderline Personality Disorder: A Guide For Professionals And Families, a straightforward discussion of how to live with, care for, treat and help borderline patients. Chapters discuss the diagnosis and treatment of borderline disorder, and issues directly pertaining to families including forming a support system, living with the possible negative effects of borderline disorder, family involvement in treatment, and more. Sample cases, plain- terms discussions and definitions, and a highly accessible style and format make Understanding And Treating Borderline Personality Disorder immediately comprehensible to readers of all backgrounds. Highly recommended for anyone whose family or professional life places them in contact with or makes them responsible for borderline patients.