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

by John G. Gunderson (Editor), Perry D., Ph.D. Hoffman (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"The intent of this volume on borderline personality disorder (BPD) is laudable: it seeks to offer professionals and families information and education to reduce the confusion about the disorder. Such a guide is badly needed.... There is clearly a niche for a readable text that explains BPD in ways that are helpful to families and parents. This volume begins to fill this niche and should help reduce false impressions, stigmatization of the disorder, and the blame heaped on patients and their families."- "Canadian Journal of Psychiatry," "April 2006"

Product Description
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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.; 1 edition (February 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585621358
• ISBN-13: 978-1585621354
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #192,068 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A straightforward discussion of how to live with, care for, treat and help borderline patients, February 8, 2006

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

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.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best general introduction to BPD, April 4, 2006

By	D. A Flory (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

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.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brillant, November 14, 2007

By	DBT "DBT33" (France) - See all my reviews

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.