Sometimes I Act Crazy: Living with Borderline Personality Disorder [Paperback]

Jerold J. Kreisman (Author), Hal Straus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 2006

A source of hope, expert advice, and guidance for people with borderline personality disorder and those who love them

Do you experience frightening, often violent mood swings that make you fear for your sanity? Are you often depressed? Do you engage in self-destructive behaviors such as drug or alcohol abuse, anorexia, compulsive eating, self-cutting, and hair pulling? Do you feel empty inside, or as if you don't know who you are? Do you dread being alone and fear abandonment? Do you have trouble finishing projects, keeping a job, or forming lasting relationships?

If you or someone you love answered yes to the majority of these questions, there's a good chance that you or that person suffers from borderline personality disorder, a commonly misunderstood and misdiagnosed psychological problem afflicting tens of millions of people. Princess Diana was one of the most well-known BPD sufferers.

As a source of hope and practical advice for BPD sufferers and those who love them, this new book by Dr. Jerold J. Kreisman and Hal Straus, bestselling authors of I Hate You, Don't Leave Me, offers proven techniques that help you:
* Manage mood swings
* Develop lasting relationships
* Improve your self-esteem
* Keep negative thoughts at bay
* Control destructive impulses
* Understand your treatment options
* Find professional help

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kreisman’s I Hate You, Don’t Leave Me, a rigorous but informal introduction to Borderline Personality Disorder, was published in 1989, and has sold 300,000 copies since. This follow-up volume incorporates advances in the understanding of BPD that have been made in the last 15 years, as well as new case studies and anecdotes (the book begins with a patient named "Diana" who turns out be the late UK princess) and a less gloomy prognosis. Most of the 12 chapters begin with a particular patient, detailing specific symptoms and behaviors in a pulpy prose style, often including first person narrative ("Doc, you probably want to hear how horrible my mom and dad were") and reconstructed dialogue ("‘Fine,’ Patty bites off, impatiently shifting her weight to one hip. ‘Anything else?’"). While these narrative descriptions are a little hokey, they are packed with behaviors that Kreisman then proceeds to take up and unfold, all the while gently introducing technical terms as needed, and making suggestions for how to cope, verbally or otherwise, with a host of Borderline behaviors in family, lover or friend. The case studies occasionally have a lurid quality (particularly since BPD often involves acting out sexually) that is completely undercut by Kreisman’s patient analyses, making the book feel a little split. But even at its most garish, the book sticks close to the facts, and Kreisman’s commentary is expert and imperturbable.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Inside Flap

Life with borderline personality disorder is a life out of control. Pulled apart by warring emotions and self-destructive impulses, tormented by fears of abandonment, those with BPD rarely know real satisfaction or inner peace. BPD sufferers’ emotions can drive them to acts of antisocial violence and destruction or to self-mutilation, drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders, compulsive gambling, or sexual compulsions.

Living with someone with BPD is not easy either. Those with BPD can be charming and sympathetic, yet their violent mood swings, propensity for veering suddenly and inexplicably from adoration to hatred, and destructive impulsivity can make life with them like running an endless emotional gauntlet.

If you or someone you care for has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, this book will be a source of healing. If you suspect that your child, mate, or other loved one has BPD, it can help you to understand why that person acts the way he or she does and will show you what you can do to help make his or her life–and your life–happier and more rewarding.

Written by one of the most respected authorities on borderline personality disorder, Sometimes I Act Crazy is a source of wisdom and practical advice on living with the most common personality disorder. Dr. Jerold Kreisman refutes the misperception that BPD is untreatable, and he charts the enormous progress that has been made over the past decade by researchers in a variety of fields in understanding its causes and therapies. He also offers expert guidance on getting a proper diagnosis and understanding all the best treatment options currently available.

Each chapter of Sometimes I Act Crazy centers on a riveting case story that takes you inside the life of a BPD sufferer at a crucial life moment. Dr. Kreisman explores the complex play of forces at work behind the symptom or behavior under discussion. And he provides simple action steps BPD sufferers or their loved ones can take to help keep things from boiling over into a full-fledged crisis.

Wise, compassionate, and practical, Sometimes I Act Crazy offers new hope to people with borderline personality disorder and those closest to them. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471792144
• ISBN-13: 978-0471792147
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #35 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Personality Disorders

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

172 of 178 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent New Book, March 2, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Sometimes I Act Crazy: Living with Borderline Personality Disorder (Hardcover)

For months, my wife was searching frantically for a book that explains what BPD is and what the treatment options are. She found exactly what she was looking for in Sometimes I Act Crazy.

She actually bought a few other books first, but they were just too dry. What sets this one apart is that it contains accounts of real people that let you experience what it's like to have BPD. She was able to identify with these people, and it helped her so much to know that she's not alone. The book also explains the causes and the reasons for the various symptoms, so you can really understand what's behind them.

Once she got started, she couldn't put it down, and then made it required reading for me. I also identified with people in the case studies, the husbands and wives, and friends, moms, and dads, of borderlines, who are also suffering. I know now that I'm not alone and this has made it easier for me.

Most important, the book gives valuable practical advice on how to cope with this excruciating mental illness and how to go about seeking help step-by-step. We probably saved ten times the cost of the book just by reading the chapter on what to look for in a therapist! We had no idea this kind of help is available.

90 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Episode II - A New Hope, March 12, 2004

By 

Kin Hylton (Honolulu, HI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sometimes I Act Crazy: Living with Borderline Personality Disorder (Hardcover)

The reader gets to experience the patient's stories just like a psychologist would, with patient stories in bite-sized portions. The explanations are unusually good. The index at the back of the book is more thorough than the first book; I looked to see if Woody Allen's movie "Zelig" was listed in this index, since it was mentioned in both books, and there it was! The book was reader friendly. It was also thoughtfully written, so that a person with a short attention span and unlikely to read the whole text would be able to get the important message that there is a "cure." I was surprized at the sexuality in some of the stories, but I was grateful for these examples because they were necessary to understand the thinking of the BPD patients. The authors presented astonishing evidence of successful treatment methods. The book mentioned many of the illnesses that are similar to BPD and what exactly the defining symptoms were. What BPD was, how to identify it, and how to respond when a person with this disease exhibits its symptoms, is the focus of the book - A new hope for a future without BPD! It may take ten years, but for the ones suffering, it is something - Satisfying to read.

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Approachable and Engaging, December 3, 2005

By 

Elizabeth (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sometimes I Act Crazy: Living with Borderline Personality Disorder (Hardcover)

I've read more academic books (and think those are important, too. For that, I recommend "Demystifying Borderline Personality Disorder"), but this one was accessible and engaging, and had useful and practical advice for people with the illness and those around them. Because of that, the book gives the reader a sense of hope. In this field, that can be rare. There is some sexual content, and I can understand why some people would find that offensive. I personally didn't. Any misgivings I have about the book are offset by my enthusiasm about its readability and its usefulness to the people for whom it is written: borderlines and their families.