The Borderline Personality Disorder Survival Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Living with BPD

Description

The Borderline Personality Disorder Survival Guide is organized as a series of answers to questions common to BPD sufferers: What is BPD? How long does it last? What other problems co-occur with BPD? Overviews what we currently know about BPD make up the first section of the book. Later chapters cover several common treatment approaches to BPD: dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), mentalization-based therapy (MBT), and medical treatment using psychoactive drugs. In the last sections of the book, readers learn a range of day-to-day coping skills that can help moderate the symptoms of BPD.

Alexander L. Chapman, Ph.D., is an assistant professor and registered psychologist in the department of psychology at Simon Fraser University. He is director of the Personality and Emotion Research Laboratory, where he conducts research on self-harm, borderline personality disorder, emotion regulation, and impulsivity. Chapman has published numerous journal articles and book chapters and has given many national and international presentations on borderline personality disorder, dialectical behavior therapy, self-harming and suicidal behavior, and impulsive behavior. In 2007, he received the Young Investigator's Award from the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder. In addition, he trains students and professionals to treat clients who self-harm or borderline personality disorder. Chapman is president of the Dialectical Behavior Therapy Centre of Vancouver, a center for the treatment of borderline personality disorder, self-harm, and related problems. He is coauthor of The Borderline Personality Disorder Survival Guide.

The Borderline Personality Disorder Survival Guide is exactly what its title suggests. Through the use of many rich clinical examples and exacting and intriguing metaphors, Chapman and Gratz take us through the diagnosis and probable causes of BPD, some of the myths about BPD, and possible explanations of the problems that often accompany BPD. They review both psychological and medication treatments and end up with very practical advice on how to deal with suicidal thoughts as well as with situations when control over one's emotions seems tenuous at best. Clearly written and easily read, this book truly is a practical everyday guide not only to surviving but to growing healthier while struggling with BPD. --Kenneth R Silk, MD, professor of psychiatry and director of the Personality Disorders Program at the University of Michigan Medical School and Health System