Product Description

Borderline Personality Disorderis the classic guide to diagnosis and treatment of borderline personality disorder. It presents a broad and balanced approach to clinical problems that are central to the practices of all mental health professionals.

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent Book
Borderline Personality Disorder is a complicated, devastating disorder. It is much more common than is realized.

This is an outstanding book for friends, relatives and therapists.

Unfortunately the above persons are frequently devastated about this person's rages, sarcasm & destructive behavior.

Marriages and friendships are ruined.

Essential reading

an excellent look into the disorder
Even though John G. Gunderson's book Borderline Personality Disorder is written about borderlines, and not to them, it offers an excellent look into the disorder for borderlines, acquaintances of borderlines, and people who work with borderlines. For borderlines, it provides a unique voyeuristic look into Gunderson's frank discussion of the borderline disorder, and it's hostages. Dr. Gunderson begins by naming, defining and subdividing the characteristic criteria and shows how they are displayed by the borderline patient.He offers case examples to support his statements. He details such effects as self destructiveness, aggression, anger, validation, splitting, transferences, psychotic regression, depression, devaluation, dissociation, hospitalization, suicide, pharmacotherapy, therapy and therapist attributes.He has one entire chapter devoted to the borderline name called The Term Borderline. Each chapter is summarized and an index avails the reader quick access to particular topics.At no time does the borderline reader need to fear feeling belittled or embarrassed reading this material.Dr. Gunderson describes the borderline patient with respect and understanding throughtout all the book's 204 pages. ... Read more

Product Description

Description

When Julie becomes so mentally ill she can no longer cope in society, she is put in a psychiatric hospital with the support of her friends. Once inside the hospital, Julie faces some terrible challenges; her main issue is trusting those in authority. She had uncontrollable reactions, such as self harming and suicidal behaviours when something is out of control, but with the help of her friends and a doctor she gradually starts to get these under more control. But the world of a Borderline is never an easy ride, and Julie portrays the tribulations that this diagnosis may cause.

Julie's journey portrays how difficult a patient's role in the hospital is when the staff are met with a talented, yet troubled young individual. How can they cope with Julie's issues without belittling her or making her feel worse?

This book will work to sympathise with those who have had similar experiences in hospital and were unable to vent out their problems. This book will also thrive is teaching mental health staff what is perhaps going through a patient's mind. This book challenges staff to look at their approach and language in the way that they treat patients, particularly those with Borderline Personality Disorder. ... Read more

Product Description
Author Lynn Melville believes that people caught in abusive relationships -- whether Borderline or not -- are stuck in the middle of the Grief Cycle. They are unable to move forward to acceptance of the reality of the abuse they're receiving, because their abuser continues to change, back and forth from the person who acts like they love them -- to the person who hurts them.

Melville began writing Breaking Free from Boomerang Love for herself, words to help her stay focused on reality. Over time, her writing began to change into letters to others who were still stuck in abuse.

Written in a daily affirmation style, readers will re-feel and finish the grieving of their pain, laugh and then watch their denial disappear, achieve a new strength to stand up for themselves, and re-connect and reach for guidance from the God of their understanding. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

MUST read if you're in a relationship with a BPD/NBPD
This book has been a salvation for me and I often carry it with me.Being the partner of a NBPD husband, this book has given me so much comfort.Reading the short verses and the drawings help lift me up when I'm down... if you are in the situation, you MUST read this!!!I wish they made a pocket version.

OUTSTANDING !!!
It's as if Lynn Melville's book "Boomerang Love" was written specifically for me ! I finally got out of a 22 month relationship with a BPD and this book helped me SO much to understand why my BPD partner was the way she was - from the Jekyl and Hyde personality, the lies, the broken promises, lack of values, moral compass &conscience to the love me / hate me treatment, impulsive spending, using sex to get what she wanted and the insatiable need for attention - its ALL here! I just wish I had found this book eighteen months ago and saved myself SO much heartache. Fortunately for me, after going back to the BPD WAY too many times, I finally got out before I bought the ring and built the house I was planning - now she is someone else's problem as within a week she had moved on to another victim. Lynn has done a TREMENDOUS job of detailing what its like to live with a BPD and offers, in a very thoughtful, supportive way, the knowledge that I needed to figure things out and make the break. THANK YOU LYNN MELVILLE !!!!!!

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK.
IF YOU ARE DEALING WITH A BPD DISORDERED LOVED MATE\LOVED ONE THEN THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ.IT WAS WRITTEN BY THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE.WITH THEIR POINT OF VIEWS.AMAZING INSIGHT.PRACTICAL ADVICE FROM REAL WORLD VICTIMS OF BPD'S. I WAS ABOUT TO MARRY A WOMAN WHO WAS ABUSIVE.SHE WAS ACTIVELY CHEATING ON ME & JUST ACTING TERRIBLE.BEYOND ALL THAT I FELT COMPELLED TO HELP HER & MARRYING HER.WHEN THE BOOK ARRIVED, I PUT OF READING IT UNTIL I WAS READY.WHEN I WAS READY, A WHOLE NEW PERSPECTIVE OPENED UP TO ME. IT WAS LIKE A CONTINUOUS DUTCH UNCLE TALK THAT I NEEDED BADLY.

Perpetuating myths and stereotypes about an entire group of people
As a borderline person who spent a year and a half in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, I take great offense when people say that you should run screaming from borderlines, and that relationships with a borderline person are necessarily turbulent, unhappy, and something to be gotten out of.When I found a therapist who said BPD could be managed, even "cured," and that she would stick with me throughout the treatment (as opposed to getting sick of me and firing me as a client because I was too great of a suicide risk), I began to get well.I was able to enter into a healthy relationship with someone who was NOT codependent.I note that another reader said that the only way a borderline could have a relationship was with a codependent, similarly self-loathing person.This just perpetuates the notion that we can't get better, we can't be sane, and we are people who should fundamentally be avoided.The stigma around this disorder causes a lot of people who are genuinely suffering and seeking help to be turned away by therapists and partners over and over again.According to this book and the user comments, it's all about saving yourself from becoming involved in a relationship with a borderline, something to be avoided AT ALL COSTS!Is there a book out there that suggests avoiding any other mentally ill people, shutting them out, getting away from them?No.If you're schizophrenic, bipolar, or have OCD, you're allowed to have relationships, but if you're borderline, you should be treated like a leper.Where is the logic in this?BPD can be very successfully managed.I used to be in and out of the hospital at least once a year, but that hasn't happened in four years now.Why?DBT.Please, please, if you are in a relationship with a borderline, consider suggesting DBT to them, and make sure they know you support and love them.We can be wonderful, vibrant, talented contributors to society.Why not attempt to love us and support us in finding effective treatment, rather than listening to this book and abandoning us?This just perpetuates a cycle that can, in fact, be ended.

A Must Read for those who love a BPD
Each page of this book brings new revelations to those of us who have been involved and even still love a significant other or parent with BPD.It brings mental relief because the author so clearly defines what terror, pain, bewilderment and exhilaration we have been through.She provides guidelines in each chapter of how to be good to ourselves and reach out for spiritual support.The checklists alone are worth the read as you say "yes" outloud to line after line of perplexing BPD behaviour that you have never had detailed before and you thought you were the only person going through it.

God bless all of us who love the BPD, as the author says, "we are the best of the best", the most giving, forgiving, understanding and loving people who have commmitted their hearts to loving these afflicted people.God bless the BPD's as well, whose suffering we cannot understand and who we do not hold entirely responsible for the harm they bring to us.They did not ask for the emotional burden and pain they battle every day.We can get away if we must, but they never can.

... Read more

Product Description
A complete therapist guide for borderline personality disorder. Few psychological problems carry the negative connotation accompanying borderline personality disorder (BPD). The most common element of BPD is an exquisite sensitivity to life events that may manifest in periodic loss of control. This loss of control may lead to actions that can be damaging to oneself and others. The authors have this volume to help and the therapists of people with BPD take control of this disorder. Filled with practical strategies and the research and theory behind them, this book provides clinicians with the necessary tools for working with this innovative program. ... Read more

Product Description
The book was first published in Dutch by Uitgeverij Nieuwezijds - this book is an English language translation, translated from the original Dutch Language version by Jolijn Drost. The book offers a conceptual model of BPD, a treatment model and an array of methods and techniques for treating BPD clients. It covers treatment planning, the therapeutic relationships, cognitive and behavioural techniques, specific strategies, behavioural pattern breaking and the termination of therapy. The appendices contain handouts for patients including a biographical diary, forms for homework assignments and problem solving and a positive self statement log. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent resource for motivated clinical providers
Schema therapy is not an easy treatment model to master.Even for experienced cognitive-behavioral therapists, it is a complex approach to our most complex cases.I encourage anyone wanting to master this method to buy the latest materials from Jeffrey Young's schema therapy web site.

You can also do a lot worse than to buy and closely study this book.You may not knowingly treat borderlines, but after reading this book you may recognize borderline pathology in some of your current clients.Their presentation of mode work, working with the different modes as they appear in treatment, working with modes over time, and their matrix of cognitive, affective and behavioral strategies in the past, present, and future all help me to structure my therapeutic work much better than I could before reading this book.Several tables I have copied off into forms I can have on a clipboard while I work on particular cases, as a way of keeping track of what I need to be doing.

Upshot:Unless you are currently being supervised by an experienced schema therapist who knows Cluster B treatment issues, you will gain a lot from this book that it is hard to acquire any other way.This book is even more helpful than the chapter in Young's book, which itself is quite helpful. ... Read more

Product Description
Harvard University, Boston.Presentation of the author's theories on the effects of childhood sexual abuse on emotional development. 26 contributors, 20 U.S. DNLM: Borderline Personality Disorder - etiology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This is an excellent review of a sensitive topic.
Many clinicians and patients are puzzled by the connection between trauma and bpd.This is a well-edited collection of scholarly, thoughtful, and balanced perspectives on these topics.This book is highly recommended forall readers interested in this painful area. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A great idea for a book, but didn't quite work for me
Eclipses is an unusual mixture of a biography and a general information text that didn't quite work for me.

The author draws on her own and fellow patients' experiences of recovering from BPD in a DBT-based inpatient programme. This book could have been a vivid description of what it's like to suffer from BPD, an insight into how treatment works from a patient's perspective, and a source of hope for other sufferers. You can find glimpses of all those things in Eclipses, but they don't shine through because of the way the book is written and structured. It's not a conventional biography that tells a story from beginning to end. Instead, it's presented as an informative book about BPD, which uses the author's and others' experiences as case studies to illustrate points.

Does it work better as a source of information, then? For me it didn't because the focus is so narrow. The chapter on what BPD is only describes the symptoms of a few patients (who have multiple diagnoses), so that some of the key features are not mentioned at all, and the reader could easily be misled into thinking that symptoms of depression or other disorders are also symptoms of BPD. The chapters on treatment describe the programme at one hospital (now closed) in great detail, but there is no general information on other approaches, or even on how DBT might work in a different setting.

If you're looking for some reassurance that people can and do recover from BPD, Eclipses is worth a read. If you're looking for facts, it also makes an excellent case study of how a particular treatment works from the point of view of the patient. However, it is hard work to read as a biography, and if you're looking for general information on BPD and treatments, there are many better books out there such as The Borderline Personality Disorder Survival Guide.

Heartfelt & insightful but not a self help guide
I purchased this, along with several other books, to try to find help for a loved one suffering from B.P.

This book was by far the easiest to read, and was far more insightful than the outdated "I Hate You-Don't Leave Me* Understanding the Borderline Personality" book (it isn't a bad book, but it is in dire need of updating).

Pros: Gives an excellent insider's view of what having Borderline Personality is like.Gives great case examples of real people who have been successful in their treatment of B.P.Gives an in-depth look, from the patientsf eyes, of DBT Dialectical Behavior Therapy; which has been shown to be effective in treating B.P.Easy to read, yet at the same time engaging.

Cons: Poorly organized, seems to jump around a bit much; too many acronyms make it difficult to remember who the author is referring to.Not a self-help manual or a guide to helping people with the disorder.More of a portrait of B.P. from an insiderfs perspective.

I recommend this book for anyone who is looking to better understand this disorder, as well as anyone with a loved one suffering from B.P.It will help dissolve many of the common stereotypes associated with the disorder.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the ability to enroll in a long-term hospital program that specializes in B.P.The book may be a bit frustrating for those of you, who like me, are trying to orchestrate some level of decent care from the meager resources that are available.

It's worth reading, but remember that it is only a portrait of how a handful of women overcame their disorder in what sounds like an exceptional facility (which, sadly, has now been closed).

Good Material, Just Not Balanced
I'm the webowner of Borderline Personality Disorder Today. Theauthor has some really good material in the book about DBT and how it hasassisted her in her own recovery. I believe sharing her experiences as anin-patient at Highland Hospital are particularly important. However, thebook focuses on only one aspect of recovery as if DBT is the *only* avenuethere is to recovery from the BPD. Medication is not discussed which isextremely vital especially with what the research is saying about howhelpful medications are in providing assistance with many of the BPDsymptoms. The only thing I disagreed in the book was her statement"While disability is a godsend for many former patients who do nothave sufficient financial resources, the public needs to be made aware thatsuch a resource is an enabler rather than a tag of inability." I haveread that as many as 33 % of BPDs are disabled, not because they want to beenabled, but because their illness has truly prevented them from sustaininga job. Would I recommend you buy the book? Yes, there is some good materialthere there that is important for BPD recovery.

Heartfelt, Understanding, but flawed.
As a therapist, Melissa's personal accounts are inspiring and heartfelt.She presents many of the difficulties of this disorder in an understanding & compassionate way.Very happy to see her inclusion of DialeticBehavior Therapy info & materials.However, I don't think the book isvery well organized.Example:Chp. 2 on Inpatient Therapy seems a bitpremature & could be frightening to clients who are new to theawareness of their diagnosis. There are examples (the one of the otherpatients using restraint on another patient) that if they are questionable,and I believe they are, shouldn't have been included.I would hesitate torecommend this book to my clients because of such examples although I amalways looking for new materials to inspire hope in my clients and to gettheir cooperation for the use of DBT materials.I would encourage Melissato do a revised version looking at content organization, making the writingmore fluid, and the use of appropriate helpful examples.

Excellent for anyone seeking understanding of BPD.
Written in first-person by someone who truly knows Borderline Personality Disorder, this novel-that-reads-like-non-fiction is A MUST for those who wish to understand and help a loved one with this illness.The writergives a portrait of several other patients, thus providing a poignant lookat the shapes and intensities BPD can have. ... Read more

Product Description
Randi Kreger draws on extensive new research to provide advice forsuccessfully navigating life with someone who has borderlinepersonality disorder. Step-by-step suggestions--many from users of theauthor's comprehensive website-- help readers set and enforce personallimits, communicate clearly, cope with put-downs and rage, develop asafety plan, and make realistic decisions. Throughout the text areworksheets, checklists, and exercises that build on one another andenable readers to apply the suggestions to their lives. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

Great for friends & family of BP's but insensitive to BP's people
This book has really helped my boyfriend understand and cope with my bp, however when I read from it, I feel a bit offened.As if we are all grouped together and everything we do is because of our bp- like we aren't allowed normal human emotions.As long as whoever is reading it can recognize the book is a generalization and not every area applies to the bp in their life- I believe it's quite helpful.

Stop Walking on Eggshells Workbook
The workbook compliments the book "Stop Walking on Eggshells."
The book is a must have for anyone who has someone in their life that has Borderline Personality Disorder. It will give you the tools to take your life back! You must take care of yourself first....Best of luck..

Excellent
This is a very good book. This book and its companion, Walking on Eggshells, can bring sanity where you thought none existed.Welcome back to Kansas, Dorothy.

Great to work through with your spouse...if they will let you...
This is the companion workbook to Randi's SWOE book.If you can get your BPD spouse to work through it with you, that would be a big step towards making your lives better.If you're already separated, it will help the non-BPD figure out what went wrong, and that it's not his/her fault.

Life changing
This workbook is life changing. I live with the BP in my life and don't feel "crazy" anymore. The tools are amazing and work! It brought much healing to my life. Thank you. ... Read more

Product Description
Mentalizing - the ability to understand oneself and others by inferring the mental states that lie behind overt behavior - develops during childhood within the context of a secure attachment relationship. It is crucial to self-regulation and constructive, intimate relationships. Failure to retain mentalizing, particularly in the midst of emotional interactions, is a core problem in borderline personality disorder and results in severe emotional fluctuations, impulsivity, and vulnerability to interpersonal and social interactions. Mentalization-based treatment for borderline personality disorder is a 'How to Do It' book outlining a clinically proven treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder. Containing illustrative clinical examples, it details precisely how to develop and implement treatment and is a companion to the highly successful book Psychotherapy for Borderline Personality Disorder - mentalization based treatment. This practical guide explains how to treat borderline patients by helping them develop a more robust mentalizing capacity within the context of an attachment relationship.It provides the practitioner with everything they need to know about how to practise mentalizing treatment in day patient and out-patient settings. Enough theory is provided to orientate the clinician and there is step-by-step practical advice on the assessment of mentalizing and interpersonal relationships, how to structure treatment, the use of basic mentalizing interventions and how to apply them, as well as information on what not to do. In addition, it includes a check list to be used in the assessment of mentalizing and a self-rating exercise for practitioners to evaluate their adherence to mentalizing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I haven't finished the book yet
For someone in the psychology field, I have to say this book is a must. Especially for those of us wanting to further our studies past undergrad work.

The book is quite dense at first, but after a while you get into the author's "writing groove" and it begins to read somewhat smoothly. ... Read more

Product Description
People with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) challenge those close to them with their often bewildering mood shifts and unpredictable behavior. For those people who have relationships with persons with BPD, whether they be relatives, friends, spouses, parents, or children, this book should prove a godsend. It delineates the ways in which borderline individuals (BPs) behavior and communications frustrate and perplex those around them but goes further in articulating specific strategies that those close to the person with Borderline Personality Disorder (nonBPs, as they are termed in this book) can effectively cope with these kinds of behaviors. Larry J. Siever, M.D. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fantastic - Very helpful!
This book was very insightful into the BPD's issues as well as the non-bpd's responses. After reading it I felt a lot more empathy for the BPD, but also felt like the tools were there to cope better with the BPD in someone's life. The book will probably be more helpful to someone with a BPD who is primarily in their life, like a spouse, parent, child, etc. Does offer some help to those who have a periphery BPD in their life, for example a cousin, uncle, friend, son-in-law, etc. I highly recommend it! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (14)

Living in the Dead Zone: Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison: Understanding Borderline Personality Disorders
Psychoanalyzing the dead?That's a good one.
I think I have to quote Britney Spears here."Huh?"
All one needs to do is go to an AA meeting and you will find hundreds of people with your so called "borderline personality disorder."It's called alcoholism.Try growing up with them for parents.Talk about needed therapy.

Assumptions
The authors made an assumption about Jim before research was undertaken and I feel this coloured subsequent research. There's much more information available about Jim than was read by the authors who seem to have taken information that supports their point of view and ignored the rest. Jim's stage persona was a carefully orchestrated act based on a book called "Mass Hysteria and Crowd Control".He was playing a part. They were after all film graduates and film heavily influenced their stage presentations. Jim's poems were apocalyptic but that was his genre. The therapy sessions in the book are non-existent and are based on the authors' own preconceptions. Jim was extremely shy (said one Door and confirmed by another), there is some evidence he had a nervous breakdown, his home life was volatile and he drank. He couldn't keep up the act. He hated heroin and wouldn't take it deliberately. Where's the examination of the paramedics' reports to the Parisian police?Increasingly severe asthma attacks led to a prescription which he neglected to fill. A rock star's death by something as common as a heart attack caused by chronic asthma is not newsworthy. I'm disappointed in the lack of examination of all evidence before drawing a conclusion of BPD. The authors have analysed the myth, not the man.

Finally an explanation that makes sense!
Nowhere in the literature is there an analysis and narrative like this. Intense, compelling and riveting, the book explains why these two icons were so tragically self-destructive. In doing so,
they have illuminated and clarified for the public, the complex nature of the poorly understood borderline disorder. So many peoplecan benefit from reading "Living in the Dead Zone".Bravo gentlemen!

Insightful analysis of two deepyl troubled people
I was unable to put this book down once I began reading the accounts offered by Faris and Faris.Their analysis of the borderline disorder was so disturbingly realistic in my own experience with my son that I thought they were writing to me.The therapy sessions they created with Janis and Jim were not only revealing but astonishing when you consider how good their music was.

This book is a most excellent read, filled with insights into the behavior of the borderline. And I truly did appreciate the sociological observations as well which contextualized the 1960s so well...and I do remember them as if it was yesterday.

Final Response to J
To J one more time, I promise:

My brother and I have had a good laugh at your latest response, not that your other responses weren't just as laughable. But your latest was the most sweeping and most revealing and therefore the most pathetic. This will, however, be our last effort to have a reasonable discussion with you.We see no reason to continue a conversation with someone who reveals his ignorance and arrogance in almost every sentence.You love Jim Morrison, you love his poetry, you dismiss entirely psychiatry and psychology, we are completely wrong about everything. You're the only one who apparently can KNOW anything.And you think we don't understand you?

In the cute way that people who really don't understand a discipline do, you accuse us of psychoanalyzing you. There's no doubt that you do not understand the fields of psychology or psychiatry, and psychoanalysis-they are all very different modes of investigation, not that you would trouble yourself with such distinctions since you already know everything you need to know from the misreadings of Szasz, and Laing.You might try reading pioneers in the field, who really do KNOW something from extensive empirically-based and theoretically well-grounded research. Read John Gunderson's work from Harvard, Otto Kernberg's from Cornell, James Grotstein from Stamford, to name a few.But of course they are all part of the psychobabble industry to you, aren't they.You ask us to stick to what we know best, rather than critique your hero's poetry? You don't appear to impose any restrictions on your statements about psychology and psychiatry. That must be because you think you already KNOW. Right? Wow. Must be comfortable to live in such a fatuous world.

Since you don't appear to know anything about serious empirical research in psychiatry, although I'm sure you think you're a quick study, in the absence of that knowledge you don't appear to be in any position to comment on what we can or cannot know. Borderline personality disorder is now one of the most carefully researched, empirically confirmed diagnoses available to us today. And the possibility for moving backward, historically, to look at what we do know about popular figures and legends, although messy and complicated is not IMPOSSIBLE (Should I drop the caps?) and can be very helpful in popularizing such a disorder to the public. Nor is it unethical to do so.

Among the reasons we believe so confidently that you are only superficially familiar with these fields rests fundamentally on your citation of Szasz, and Laing, for example, not to mention your wild-eyed claim that one cannot really KNOW anything (your emphasis) about the psychology of other people.Szasz and Laing, the most often misunderstood and at the same time most often cited by those pseudo critics, hostile in the extreme to psychiatry and psychology, would never have made such silly claims that we can never KNOW.

You wrote that "the entirely subjective nature of your science," as if there's no such thing as major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and personality disorders, anxiety and panic disorders, posttraumatic stress disorders, identity disorders, to cite a few. These diagnoses are neither subjective nor unscientific. Your dismissal of them as such reveals such ignorance that we choose not to bother you with more complete accounts of the works of brilliant clinical researchers, especially since you appear to have a comic book view of Szasz and Laing as dismissing those serious folks. And we believe any further conversation with you is both pointless and distasteful.P.S. I am not a therapist, my brother Gerald is, a fact you would have known if you had read our book-not to trouble you with a little thing.This was our last response but we are sure that the hero-worshipper within you will compel you once again to respond. ... Read more

Product Description
Patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are among the most challenging patients for clinicians to treat. Their behaviors and emotions can shift abruptly. As a result, these patients can seem like therapeutic moving targets, and improvement can be vexingly slow.

A Developmental Model of Borderline Personality Disorder is a landmark work on this difficult condition. The book emphasizes a developmental approach to BPD based on an in-depth study of inpatients at Chestnut Lodge in Rockville, Maryland, during the years 1950 through 1975 and the authors’ thirty years of clinical and supervisory experience. Using information gleaned from the original clinical notes and follow-up studies, the authors present four intriguing case studies to chart the etiology, long-term course, and clinical manifestations of BPD.

This book will help practitioners develop understanding and empathy for these patients by illuminating the disorder to help interpret its causes and course. Clinicians will find a wealth of insight and guidance for providing individual psychotherapy and designing the best mental health services to optimize outcomes in patients with BPD. ... Read more

Product Description
This book chronicles the life of Dr. Leah Sims and her battle with borderline personality disorder. She was sexually abused at the age of six, was a prostitute at sixteen, was a soldier at seventeen, and was married five times. She became a psychologist and a philanthropist. Leah is a true inspiration to women who suffer from borderline personality disorders. Her life teaches us the lessons of faith, love, loss, determination, and success.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

awesome
This book is awesome!!! I started reading it late the other night and couldn't put it down. awesome i tell you!! It feels like im there in the story and can place myself in the settings of the story. Such a tragic story!

A must read for African-American women, looking to break the cycle
Dr. Leah is off the hook and yet I feel myself connecting so well with her.Growing up in a rural town with a dysfunctional family I could definitely see myself within the revolving pages.There were moments where I was sad, moments where I laughed out loud, and moment where I was just in disbelief.But regardless of Dr. Leah situations, she managed to "Keep the faith." ... Read more

Product Description
For some 5 to 16 million Americans, borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a pervasive pattern of instability that begins early in life. What are the three subgroups of BPD? How do you differentiate BPD from other disorders? What is the likelihood of recovery? Is group or individual therapy more effective? What environmental, genetic, and biological influences may cause BPD? How do medications impact BPD symptoms? This book will help answer these and many other questions.At-a-glance features include:7 typical characteristics of those with BPD Differential diagnostic concerns Treatment strategies for interpersonal, cognitive, dialectical behavior, and group therapy 13 predisposing factors for suicide 4 psychometric assessment tools New self-report and interview instruments Treatment dialog examples for various theoretical approaches Comparison table of 6 classes of medications used to treat BPD 6 key relapse prevention treatment strategies ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Disappointing ending
While this book, in all it's earlier chapters does an excellent job of explaining the full mental, emotional and psychological make-up of someone suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder I was hugely disappointed and more than a bit let down towards the end when I read "Research has found no psychopharmacological agent to be superior to another for the broad spectrum of BPD symtoms. Clinicians have found these medications most effective for acute symptoms. MEDICATIONS GENERALLY SHOW LIMITED EFFICACY WHEN USED FOR MAINTENANCE."

It seems that the general, underlying advice which this author gives is one of communal support groups or finding therapists who have the necessary knowledge of dealing with BPD.

For those unfortunate people out there who know that they do have BPD but who either cannot afford a suitable therapist or who do not have themeans of joining up with BPD support groups (due to distances involved or other insurmountable difficulities)- one feels let down after finally discovering the diagnosis as to what exactly ails you.

A short section regarding available and used medications for BPD is discussed, together with their side effects too, but other than that - anyone who suffers from BPD will not get full guidance just how they can go about learning to deal with this most incapacitating illness.

If you are looking for answers as to how to deal with your illness - this book sadly falls flat towards the end...

I liked this book. Found it very useful and informative.
The book is very clear and to-the-point. It provides very important information without going too much into useless details (like silly dramatic stories of very extreme cases I read in many other books that donot apply to me) Each chapter has a very clear, consise summaryand repeatsdefinitions used in the text. What I found most useful is that the authorprovides comparison of different therapies available to-date based onscientific research, not her opinion allowing me to make my own choice.Having read this book, I know that my next step should be looking for DBTtherapy with emphasis on cognitive schema-based approach. I also, found outthat I should avoid not-so-helpful supportive therapy used with otherdisorders. The only drawback of this book, is that the author did notprovide information of how to access appropriate therapies. ... Read more

Product Description
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a severe personality dysfunction thought to affect some 2% of the population. The authors of this volume - Anthony Bateman and Peter Fonagy - have developed a psychoanalytically oriented treatment for BPD known as mentalization treatment. With randomised controlled trials having shown this method to be effective, this book presents the first account of this treatment for BPD. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A good review of the subject and overview of MBT
This book presents a very good overview of the research literature on BPD and is not just a discription of their own form of treatment.The authors give good coverage of research conducted in and outside of the US such as that into cognitive analytic therapy and DBT. MBT is a psychodynamic form of therapy which has some very good research backing.When their first study, an RCT, came out it renewed my interest in psychodynamic based treatments as it showed that psychodynamic therapy could be evidenced based and thus fit in with the current EBM agenda.I would recommend this book to any one who treats or works with BPD patients ... Read more

Product Description
This book offers a comprehensive exploration of the relationship between gender, the experience of psychological distress that we currently call borderline personality disorder, and the borderline diagnosis as a classification of psychiatric disorder. It offers a new emphasis on elements of female socialization as critical to the understanding of the development of symptoms currently labeled borderline, and should appeal to psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and other mental health professionals as well as graduate students in these disciplines. The book will also be valuable to those involved in the fields of women's studies, psychology of women, sociology, and the history of medicine. ... Read more

Product Description
This book explores the world of a person diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and the havoc it has wreaked on her, her family and her friends. It is an attempt to make some kind of sense of it all and to come to terms with the past and the people involved in it. Many of the patients discussed cannot speak for themselves It is an attempt to make some kind of sense of it all and to come to terms with the past and the people involved in it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Doesn't sound like BPD to me
I found this book a very difficult read with all the typos.Horrendous editing abounds throughout as well as boring emphasis and details on irrelevent characters in her life.I question if the diagnosis of BPD is accurate for the author.Much of her problems seem to relate to her abuse of drugs, overmedication with neuroleptics, etc.Perhaps she suffered severe depression and her attempts at self medication via drug abuse and eating disorders sent her "over the edge," resulting in her entry into extraordinarily incompentent psychiatric treatment.No doubt that "treatment" was further devastating to her psyche, setting her recovery back years.She received little or no therapy that granted her any insight into her illness, was merely medicated heavily and innapropriately without regard to a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.This book at least shows the grave pitfalls of dropping a loved one off in a psych ward, blindly trusting the experts to weave magic.Some one should have demanded a diagnosis, medication review, and comprehensive treatment plan for Jane.I wish the woman the best and encourage her to learn what she can from the tragic experiences and do what she can to get on with life sans a focus on these trials and abuses.Good luck, Ms. Wanklin!

A message for Randy
Randy,

I read your defensive message that accuses the author of wallowing in self-pity and refusing to take personal responsibility for her illness. I'm not sure if your aware, that BPD is a biological condition that is complicated by environmental/social factors. Much of the psychiatric community is not aware of this fact and tends to blame people with BPD for their condition and in some cases deny patients treatment purely because they have a mental illness that they deem to be "untreatable".

TARA, the international advocacy association for BPD, states on its website that "patients with BPD are currently the most stigmatized in the mental health system."According to Dr. Joel Dvoskin former Comm. of the New York State Office Of Mental Health, "Why would psychiatry and psychology turn so viciously against people they call mentally disordered? Apparently the greatest sin a client can commit is poor response to treatment. What is apparently so wrong about these unfortunate souls is that they have yet to demonstrate the ability to get better in response to our treatment. Thus, they don't make us feel very good. With a few notable exceptions, we have simply given up on helping people who desperately need us to do a better job of helping them"(CAMI Journal on BPD, Vol 8)

You seem to think that the author had no right to expose the reality of what she and many other patients in the mental health system/psychiatric hospitals have experienced both in Canada, the United States and many other countries around the world. You do not seem to have considered the possibility that a lack of understanding/training in field of BPD has led to many false perceptions about BPD and negative stigma. As such, patients diagnosed with BPD are black listed, and blamed and shamed for their behavior both in out patient treatment and in-patient facilities - if they can get treatment at all.

Keeping in mind, that BPD and learning disabilities (perhaps this might account for her spelling mistakes as cited by the another Reviewer: below) are often co morbid conditions, it is not unusual for a person with these disorders to hear insensitive remarks like "Just Try harder" or "You can do anything if you just set your mind to it". Perhaps this doesn't sound all that terrible to you but imagine if these invalidating statements were being repeated over and over again throughout your life.Randy, imagine someone saying these exact words throughout your childhood and all the way into your adulthood. Imagine trying to "try harder" but not being able to make the "er" part of"Try hard..." come into effect despite putting way more effort into your studies, social and emotional development than your peers. "Try harder","You can do it if you just put your mind to it".... Do you hear it now Randy? Imagine your teachers telling you this, your parents, your guidance counselors and finally once you have reached rock bottom and develop a serious mental illness, imagine the very mental health professionals who are supposed to know about the biological underpinning of BPD, telling you these exact same words. These are the people the author was supposed to be able to turn to for support, compassion and treatment. How would you feel? Might you not have a BPD moment yourself, Randy?.
One more thing Randy:

You come to the clinical conclusion (that you may or may not be qualified to make) that the author was engaging in "splitting" behavior "classifying select people as her saviors, whilst the remainder are discounted as thugs - emotionally abusive, physically abusive, sexually abusive." Have you considered that the author might, as we all tend to do (in a book especially),simply be trying to recognize the people in her life who helped her cope with her illness and weed out the ones that have hurt her. Obviously, there have been some supportive and some not so supportive people in her life. I find it disturbing how readily you seem to be able to use a characteristic of a mental illness for the purpose of ridicule.

Aunmitigated diatribe of self-pity & blaming of others
I found this book to hold no hope for the sufferers of BDP. Instead of focusing and drawing attention to the things that would help you overcome this difficult disorder, the author has decided to direct a large amount of venom at her hospitalization and treatments. For someone who vilified the psychiatric community, she has certainly had more than her share of slices of this particular pie. There seems to be little recognition or appreciation of the amount of money, time and effort spent with her.
The author seems to expect other people and professions to supply her with a blueprint for life, without taking into effect her own culpability and responsibilties in this life. As typical to the BPD behavior, she chooses to classify select people as her saviours, whilst the remainder are discounted as thugs - emotionally abusive, physically abusive, sexually abusive.
It comes as no surprise to me that positive reviews are from other BPDs as birds of a feather do flock together.
The only problem being that these birds are vultures, picking the flesh of the only system that will support them.

excellent book, poor editing job
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would highly recommend it to anyone, regardless of their BPD diagnoses.

I would give this book five stars, if it weren't for its embarassingly high amount of typos.

Now, I'm not one to 'nitpick,' but at one point I found this so irritating that I actually had to put the book down for a minute.

For instance, in one chapter, she discusses someone named "Wayne."Then, out of nowhere, she starts calling this same person "Joe."I'm sitting here thinking, 'who the heck is Joe?'(Mind you, I am a very careful reader!)In the next chapter, she talks about a college friend named "Adam," but a sentance later, refers to him as "Allan."

There are *numerous* other mistakes of this sort that I won't bother listing.Either the author just didn't proof-read her book (*at all*!), or the editor just did a deplorable job.

I hate to harp on a book for something as trival as grammar.However, it's one thing to come across an error every now and then, and it's quite another to be bombarded with them to the point where the story starts to become *completely* ofuscated(!)

I really hope the author is aware of this.

Good autobiography about struggles w/ BPD
The book goes indepth about the trials and tribulations of the author w/ BPD. Although the book doesn't describe what BPD is, I know what it is because I have it myself and wasn't confused while reading the whole book. She described a lot of people she met in the psychiatric hospital, and I grew tired about 3/4's of the book reading about the characteristics of them. She went through a lot of the same things that I went through, so I can relate to her. There were a lot of typos, but considering everything else (she wrote while being on psychotropic medications, etc), I thought she did a very thorough job, detailing every aspect of her life. It's hard not to feel sympathy for a women who's been through hell and back. ... Read more

Product Description
One Way Ticket To Kansas assists those involved in an abusive relationship with someone diagnosed with, or suspected to have, Borderline Personality Disorder.The text gives a simple description of the disorder, means of coping with one sticken with the disorder, and explains the readers contribution to the unhealthy relationship.Also included are various support networks available for the reader.This book has multiple endorsements from experts in the field of personality disorders. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

very helpful
A very enlightening book, I wish I would have known about it years ago.Very helpful for figuring out that all our problems wasn't all my fault.

A Fabulous Book That Helped Me So Much
I can't express how much this book means to me.Life is so frustrating when you care about somoene with borderline personality disorder, but you feel so alone because there is noone to share your experiences with.Literally, the things the person with BPD does are so outlandish and unbelievable that when you tell someone about it, you come out looking like the crazy person that is elaborating.So I was truly in a deep pit of depression and feeling alone until I picked up this book.Immediately I let out a deep breath of air because it helped me understand that I wasn't alone in this struggle.With each page I turned I got a little stronger, and was able to face my situation that I felt so powerless against.
In regards to the book, it is a good mixture of the author's personal story of being married to a woman with BPD and lessons/suggestions of coping skills to build your own strength and self confidence.Ozzie Tinman's story is so touching and real because you see the emotional struggles, step-by-step, as he found himself in a blackhole of despire and not having anywhere to turn.The imagery that you get from reading his story is so strong I could see the scenes he was explaning, and I personally could connect with the pain he was experiencing.I had to put the book down multiple times because I found myself crying for him, and myself.But just when you begin to feel hopeless for the author a funny thing happens, you begin to see how through his struggles be is getting stronger and making empowering changes in his life.In a snap of a finger his story goes from the reader feeling pity for him, to them gaining a huge amount of respect for the empowerment he gains when things look the bleakest.And since the reader is connecting with the story of the author, the reader also finds themself feeling empowered.After the author tells his story, he breaks down the disorder of BPD in easy to grasp concepts and real life examples.He also tells about pitfalls to avoid, ways to cope with the emotional beating you have taken, and dedicates a large portion of the book to helping the reader regain their empowerment over their life.The lessons are very down to earth and the reading is easy.I could write forever about how great this book is.
I read One Way Ticket not quite knowing what to expect.It had been recommended to me through my domestic violence support group and I figured it would be another boring read that I would put down after the first 20 pages.But I ended up reading the whole book in 2 days.Then I read it again!It was so much more than I expected and helped me improve my life so much.I now keep it close to me and read it when I need a little refresher of the lessons in the book.The chapters are broken down in easy to follow formats and you can reference back to sections easily.
In the book the author does end up leaving his wife, but that is clearly not the point of the book.It is about empowerment and that the reader has far many more options than they think they do to regain control over their life.I have read a review or two that say the book is simply a justification of leaving a BPD relationship, and encourages the reader does the same.I must address this because this is a true mischaracterization of what the author wrote, and he even includes an entire section of the book that explains that simply leaving is not an instant answer.He also takes a clear stance that the decision to leave or stay is the readers decision, and the readers decision alone.So if someone claims this is a manual about how to leave a BPD relationship, it simply is not true, and I would venture to say either that person didn't really read the book or completely missed the point of all of the lessons of the book.
I could write so much more, but I think you get the point that I absolutely loved One Way Ticket To Kansas.I would give it 10 stars if I could and reading it has honestly changed my life in a positive way.The lessons are so easy to integrate into your life and the author's story is so powerful and empowering to the reader.It gives hope.It helps you see that brighter days are ahead and that you are not stuck into the blackhole that led to you looking for help (the book).I would hope that someday I can meet Ozzie Tinman to tell him personally, "Thank you for writing this book."

Respectfully Disagreeing
I was disappointed after reading through this book.I think my main frustration is the author's use of labels throughout.Of course labels simplify, but I was hoping for a more compassionate and complex look into the struggles of all the people involved with Borderline Personality Disorder... instead this tends to reduce everyone to either an "Ozzie" (someone in a relationship with a person who has been diagnosed with BPD) or a "BPD."And that, to me, seems to be "splitting" the population in half - and the us vs. them is symptomatic of a larger attitude problem.

People who have been abused by those suffering from severe BPD need trusted friends, a safe place, courage, and truth about themselves and others that will set them free.If you find yourself in this difficult place, pursue your own health and the health of those you love, but do not get this book.

a NON BPD's must read
A great read for the NON BPD, this is dead on and has allot of great tools.

Finally a what-to-do.
Well written easy read.The ideas of the "Stop walking on eggshell" e.g. "it is not your problem" but explained to the lay man in a practical way.A four stars because in my opinion it is bias to the "leave" scenario: the author solution, but the simple outlines can be reinterpreted to "leave the situation" without getting sucked-in.
For the one that leaves read: "A Promise to Ourselves" of Alec Baldwin: hold tight.
The "One Way Ticket" book will nevertheless give you more than just a glimpse of sanity: thank you Ozzie_Tinman. ... Read more