100 books like Handbook of Good Psychiatric Management for Borderline Personality Disorder

By John G. Gunderson, Paul S. Links,

Here are 100 books that Handbook of Good Psychiatric Management for Borderline Personality Disorder fans have personally recommended if you like Handbook of Good Psychiatric Management for Borderline Personality Disorder. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep the lights on. Or join the rebellion as a member.

Book cover of Stop Walking on Eggshells: Taking Your Life Back When Someone You Care about Has Borderline Personality Disorder

Jerold J. Kreisman Author Of Talking to a Loved One with Borderline Personality Disorder: Communication Skills to Manage Intense Emotions, Set Boundaries, and Reduce Conflict

From my list on understanding those with borderline personality.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a psychiatrist, I've had a special interest over the past forty years in working with patients with symptoms of BPD, preceding even the formalization of the diagnosis. I've been intrigued by these patients who often display enormous intelligence, creativity, and energy, yet are handicapped by emotions and behaviors that are out of their control. I established one of the early treatment centers specifically designed for their treatment. Where once these patients were stigmatized by professionals and others to be bothersome, untreatable, chronically suicidal, and to be avoided, I've witnessed great advancements in treatment approaches. We now appreciate that the vast majority of patients get better. It's been a privilege for me to participate in these advances.

Jerold's book list on understanding those with borderline personality

Jerold J. Kreisman Why did Jerold love this book?

This book is directed for families who are feeling guilty, angry, intimidated, or overwhelmed by a loved one with BPD. There is practical advice for family members and loved ones that can help them understand BPD. The book provides communication skills that help instill boundaries that can protect both the individual with BPD and those around him or her.

By Paul T T Mason, Randi Kreger,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Stop Walking on Eggshells as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Stop Walking on Eggshells has already helped more than a million people with friends and family members suffering from borderline personality disorder (BPD) understand this difficult disorder, set boundaries, and help their loved ones to stop relying on dangerous behaviors. This fully revised and updated third edition includes the very latest BPD research, extensive new information on narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), comorbidity and the effectiveness of schema therapy, and includes coping and communication skills readers can use to stabilize their relationship with the BPD or NPD sufferer in their life.

Isn't it time you stopped walking on eggshells? Learn how…


Book cover of Girl, Interrupted

Trisha Cull Author Of The Death of Small Creatures

From my list on revealing the truth about mental illness.

Why am I passionate about this?

In addition to my lived experience as someone who has struggled with mental health and addiction since adolescence, I'm passionate about social justice issues related to mental illness and substance use. In June 2021, I completed a post-graduate program in Mental Health & Addictions. Throughout my studies I was able to gain a deeper understanding of how my own struggles developed and what they have come to mean to me from both a personal and clinical perspective. Now, I endeavor to pursue future writing projects in various genres that illuminate mental health issues as a relevant and timely topic of interest. I also hope to work with disenfranchised populations while pursuing my creative writing.   

Trisha's book list on revealing the truth about mental illness

Trisha Cull Why did Trisha love this book?

The prose style in the memoir, Girl, Interrupted, is clean, concise, and unembellished. The spare writing leaves no room for self-pity, yet still tells a vivid story of mental unraveling and convalescence concurrently. Kaysen meets a cast of vulnerable characters during her nearly year-long commitment in a psychiatric hospital. They form unlikely friendships, and we get to know all of their various neuroses in a stifling environment that is at once a cage and a path to self-discovery and health. 

I was reminded of my own two commitments to psychiatric hospitals, how strange and austere the world became in those weeks, how time became irrelevant with the breakfast, lunch and dinner announcements, medication time, nightly bed checks, and the ironic “fresh air breaks,” on the back steps of the ward where I and my own unlikely cast of characters smoked cigarettes and commiserated about our unique predicaments. 

I was…

By Susanna Kaysen,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Girl, Interrupted as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Futaro Uesugi is a second-year in high school, scraping to get by and pay off his family's debt. The only thing he can do is study, so when Futaro receives a part-time job offer to tutor the five daughters of a wealthy businessman, he can't pass it up. Little does he know, these five beautiful sisters are quintuplets, but the only thing they have in common is that they're all terrible at studying! At this rate, the sisters can't graduate, and Futaro must think of a plan that suits each of them - which feels hopeless when five-out-of-five of these…


Book cover of The Borderline Personality Disorder Workbook: An Integrative Program to Understand and Manage Your BPD

Miranda Newman Author Of Rough Magic: Living with Borderline Personality Disorder

From my list on living with Borderline Personality Disorder.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always had stronger and more intense emotions than my peers. In childhood, I spent hours poring over medical textbooks to try to figure out exactly what was wrong with me. At 28, after years of navigating the mental health industry, I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Now, as a writer, my lived experience informs my passion to educate others about the disorder and show the world that people who live with BPD aren’t all bad—in fact, there are many unique gifts people with the disorder possess. I hope this reading list helps others who are on similar journeys. 

Miranda's book list on living with Borderline Personality Disorder

Miranda Newman Why did Miranda love this book?

This book by Daniel J. Fox took my understanding of my own BPD symptoms to a deeper level. I loved how much this book allowed me to reflect on my attachment styles, triggers, and distortions. It helped me uncover my personal motivations to work toward positive change and recovery.  

By Daniel J. Fox,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Borderline Personality Disorder Workbook as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Introducing a breakthrough, integrative approach to managing your borderline personality disorder (BPD). If you've been diagnosed with BPD you may feel a number of emotions - including shock, shame, sadness, abandonment, emptiness, or even anger. Even worse, you may be tempted to research your diagnosis online, only to find doomsday scenarios and terrible prognoses everywhere you click. Take a deep breath. You can get through this - and this workbook will help guide you. Despite what you may have read or been told, BPD is not the worst thing that can happen to you. Like many mental health issues, it…


Book cover of I'm Not Supposed to Be Here: My Recovery from Borderline Personality Disorder

Jerold J. Kreisman Author Of Talking to a Loved One with Borderline Personality Disorder: Communication Skills to Manage Intense Emotions, Set Boundaries, and Reduce Conflict

From my list on understanding those with borderline personality.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a psychiatrist, I've had a special interest over the past forty years in working with patients with symptoms of BPD, preceding even the formalization of the diagnosis. I've been intrigued by these patients who often display enormous intelligence, creativity, and energy, yet are handicapped by emotions and behaviors that are out of their control. I established one of the early treatment centers specifically designed for their treatment. Where once these patients were stigmatized by professionals and others to be bothersome, untreatable, chronically suicidal, and to be avoided, I've witnessed great advancements in treatment approaches. We now appreciate that the vast majority of patients get better. It's been a privilege for me to participate in these advances.

Jerold's book list on understanding those with borderline personality

Jerold J. Kreisman Why did Jerold love this book?

This is a personal and very candid account of a woman's confronting a diagnosis of BPD, complicated by an eating disorder and other self-sabotaging behavior, and working with her psychiatrist and others to support her on a road to recovery. The author examines her disruptive childhood and the obstacles impairing her recovery. Her openness and courage are inspiring.

By Rachel Reiland,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked I'm Not Supposed to Be Here as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With astonishing honesty, this memoir reveals what mental illness looks and feels like from the inside, and how healing from borderline personality disorder is possible through intensive therapy and the support of loved ones.

With astonishing honesty, this memoir, Get Me Out of Here, reveals what mental illness looks and feels like from the inside, and how healing from borderline personality disorder is possible through intensive therapy and the support of loved ones. A mother, wife, and working professional, Reiland was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder at the age of 29--a diagnosis that finally explained her explosive anger, manipulative behaviors,…


Book cover of Beyond Borderline: True Stories of Recovery from Borderline Personality Disorder

Miranda Newman Author Of Rough Magic: Living with Borderline Personality Disorder

From my list on living with Borderline Personality Disorder.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always had stronger and more intense emotions than my peers. In childhood, I spent hours poring over medical textbooks to try to figure out exactly what was wrong with me. At 28, after years of navigating the mental health industry, I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Now, as a writer, my lived experience informs my passion to educate others about the disorder and show the world that people who live with BPD aren’t all bad—in fact, there are many unique gifts people with the disorder possess. I hope this reading list helps others who are on similar journeys. 

Miranda's book list on living with Borderline Personality Disorder

Miranda Newman Why did Miranda love this book?

They say hope is the backbone to recovery, and this book by John G. Gunderson and Perry D. Hoffman has hope in spades. The real-life stories of people living with BPD were so relatable, but, more importantly, they gave me hope that I could recover from a disorder that’s long been framed as “untreatable.” 

By John G. Gunderson, Perry D. Hoffman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Beyond Borderline as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

BPD affects a significant percentage of the population. It is a disorder of relationships, one whose symptoms occur most in interpersonal contexts-and thus impact any number of interpersonal connections in life. When people have BPD, they may struggle to manage their emotions on a daily basis, and have to deal with fears of abandonment, anger issues, self-injury, and even suicidality-all of which can lead to even more instability in relationships.

This powerful compilation of stories reveals the deeply personal, firsthand perspectives of people who suffer with BPD, explores the numerous ways in which this disorder has affected their lives, and…


Book cover of Borderline Personality Disorder Demystified: An Essential Guide for Understanding and Living with BPD

Miranda Newman Author Of Rough Magic: Living with Borderline Personality Disorder

From my list on living with Borderline Personality Disorder.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always had stronger and more intense emotions than my peers. In childhood, I spent hours poring over medical textbooks to try to figure out exactly what was wrong with me. At 28, after years of navigating the mental health industry, I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Now, as a writer, my lived experience informs my passion to educate others about the disorder and show the world that people who live with BPD aren’t all bad—in fact, there are many unique gifts people with the disorder possess. I hope this reading list helps others who are on similar journeys. 

Miranda's book list on living with Borderline Personality Disorder

Miranda Newman Why did Miranda love this book?

Borderline personality disorder is often called one of the most misunderstood mental illnesses. Robert Friedel’s book goes a long way in helping people better understand the disorder. I was fascinated by the murky history of the BPD label and the myths surrounding the disorder that Friedel deftly refutes.  

By Robert O. Friedel, Linda F. Cox, Karin Friedel

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Borderline Personality Disorder Demystified as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

BPD is a chronic, disabling psychiatric condition that causes extreme instability in one's emotional life, behavior, and self-image, and severely impacts the relationships with one's family and friends. With an estimated 5.6% of the US population affected and an expanding awareness of the disorder, Dr. Robert O. Friedel offers a fully revised and updated edition of BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER DEMYSTIFIED. A leading expert in BPD and a pioneer in its treatment, Friedel has turned his vast experience into a useful, supportive guide. The book helps readers to understand the underlying causes of BPD, the course it takes, challenges of reaching…


Book cover of Freedom From Self-Harm: Overcoming Self-Injury with Skills from DBT and Other Treatments

Miranda Newman Author Of Rough Magic: Living with Borderline Personality Disorder

From my list on living with Borderline Personality Disorder.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always had stronger and more intense emotions than my peers. In childhood, I spent hours poring over medical textbooks to try to figure out exactly what was wrong with me. At 28, after years of navigating the mental health industry, I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Now, as a writer, my lived experience informs my passion to educate others about the disorder and show the world that people who live with BPD aren’t all bad—in fact, there are many unique gifts people with the disorder possess. I hope this reading list helps others who are on similar journeys. 

Miranda's book list on living with Borderline Personality Disorder

Miranda Newman Why did Miranda love this book?

One of the scariest symptoms of BPD is living with self-harm. I loved this book because it tackled non-suicidal self-injury in a nonjudgmental manner, which allowed me to reflect on and better understand the role non-suicidal self-injury plays in my life. This book helped me replace self-harming behavior with healthy coping strategies. 

By Kim L. Gratz, Alexander L. Chapman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Freedom From Self-Harm as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Self-injury can be as addictive as any drug, and the secrecy and shame many sufferers feel about this behavior can keep them feeling trapped. But if you're ready to replace self-harm with a set of healthy coping skills, this compassionate and practical book can help. This complete guide to stopping self-injury gives you the facts about self-harm, corrects common myths about this behavior, and provides self-soothing techniques you can begin using right away for regulating difficult or overwhelming emotions.

Freedom from Self-Harm also includes self-assessment worksheets, guidance for seeking professional help, and information about the most effective therapies and medications.…


Book cover of DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets

Miranda Newman Author Of Rough Magic: Living with Borderline Personality Disorder

From my list on living with Borderline Personality Disorder.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always had stronger and more intense emotions than my peers. In childhood, I spent hours poring over medical textbooks to try to figure out exactly what was wrong with me. At 28, after years of navigating the mental health industry, I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Now, as a writer, my lived experience informs my passion to educate others about the disorder and show the world that people who live with BPD aren’t all bad—in fact, there are many unique gifts people with the disorder possess. I hope this reading list helps others who are on similar journeys. 

Miranda's book list on living with Borderline Personality Disorder

Miranda Newman Why did Miranda love this book?

I love Marsha Linehan’s book because it was the first book that taught me skills to reduce the negative impacts of borderline personality disorder. It was a perfect distillation of Linehan’s treatment methods into accessible handouts and worksheets that helped me better engage with dialectical behavior therapy. I still return to my well-worn copy regularly. 

By Marsha M. Linehan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Featuring more than 225 user-friendly handouts and worksheets, this is an essential resource for clients learning dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills, and those who treat them. All of the handouts and worksheets discussed in Marsha M. Linehan's DBT Skills Training Manual, Second Edition, are provided, together with brief introductions to each module written expressly for clients. Originally developed to treat borderline personality disorder, DBT has been demonstrated effective in treatment of a wide range of psychological and emotional problems. No single skills training program will include all of the handouts and worksheets in this book; clients get quick, easy access…


Book cover of Splitting: Protecting Yourself While Divorcing Someone with Borderline or Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Jen Lawrence Author Of The Designed Divorce: How to preserve your wealth and peace of mind in divorce

From my list on getting through divorce successfully.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a Certified Divorce Coach and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst®, I work with clients during one of the most difficult stages of their lives. Clients often feel regretful about the past and fearful for the future, and the right book recommendation can really help them move forward. I often give clients reading assignments between coaching sessions that help them process their grief, figure out their goals, educate themselves about finances, feel less alone in the divorce process, and become more confident in making major decisions. I’m never not reading on this subject.

Jen's book list on getting through divorce successfully

Jen Lawrence Why did Jen love this book?

Divorcing someone with a personality disorder can be one of the most stressful things one can face. Bill Eddy is a family lawyer and therapist who understands the complexities of divorcing a high conflict person and has mastered ways to communicate and co-parent with them. This book is a must-read for anyone facing high conflict divorce as it is filled with practical tips and suggestions.

By Randi Kreger, Bill Eddy,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Splitting as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Divorce is difficult under the best of circumstances. Dealing with this inherently adversarial process can be highly emotional on both sides. But when a divorcing individual is a "persuasive blamer"-someone who suffers from borderline personality disorder (BPD), narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), or simply has a high-conflict, manipulative personality-their behavior can have devastating ramifications for their former spouses. People with these disorders may adopt physical and verbal abuse as strategies, lie to lawyers and judges, manipulate the court, and may even level charges of abuse in order to get their way. Because persuasive blamers are so convincing and even charming, these…


Book cover of Soaring Above the Ashes: Thriving Beyond Childhood Sexual Abuse

Donna Jenson Author Of Healing My Life: from Incest to Joy

From my list on pathways to healing from sexual abuse.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a writer and advocate for survivors of sexual abuse. Since 1998, I have encouraged them to find their voice and use it through my organization, Time To Tell. Being isolated is foundational to our experience, and our culture perpetuates the isolation by often refusing to address it, acknowledge it, or expose it, as well as not listening tonor believing–survivors. This forces us to remain silent. I am certain that telling is healing. I lead writing circles for survivors to experience community and get support and encouragement. I recommend all these books not only for the wisdom offered but also the direct experience of not being alone in the reading.

Donna's book list on pathways to healing from sexual abuse

Donna Jenson Why did Donna love this book?

I love this book because every chapter is about a survivor, with a large black and white photo of them. Seeing real faces put to their stories was so helpful and encouraging, showing me I am not alone.

In between the survivor stories, the author reveals both her own survivor story AND her wisdom as a therapist working with survivors. Thank you to Dr. Samuelson for all the survival strategies she affirmed and understood. I don't know a lot of therapists who have disclosed they're survivors–this one does, and with great clarity.

By Emily Samuelson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Soaring Above the Ashes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It is Possible to Heal from Sexual Abuse

A diverse group of extraordinary survivors of sexual abuse tell their stories in their own voices. In Soaring Above the Ashes they give their names, share their stories, and show their faces in arresting black and white portraits, defying the perpetrators who can no longer shame or threaten them into silence.

These men and women are proud of who they have become. They describe the journey from helplessness to empowerment, from isolation to connection, from grief to joy. Together they create a virtual support group that you are invited to join. Moreover,…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in borderline personality disorder, mental health, and mental disorders?

Mental Health 194 books
Mental Disorders 181 books