In lucid and intensely readable prose, Kriss brings us into the world of his patients who live “on the borderline,” illuminating a profoundly misunderstood condition with rigor and humanity in equal measure.
Pairing personal narratives with historical research, Borderline offers a compassionate and deeply insightful analysis of the ways that such patients have been dismissed, wronged, silenced, and deemed “untreatable” by medical systems for many centuries—and perhaps most importantly, provides clear reasons why there is hope for such patients going forward.
An intimate, compassionate, and expansive portrait of Borderline Personality Disorder that rejects the conventional wisdom that the condition is untreatable and those diagnosed with it are “difficult,” told by a psychologist who specializes in BPD
Mental illness is heavily stigmatized within our society, and folks with BPD are portrayed as especially hopeless by doctors and popular culture alike. When, as a graduate student, Alexander Kriss first began working as a therapist in the field, his supervisors warned him that borderline patients were manipulative and had a tendency to drop out of treatment. Yet, years later, when Kriss was establishing his…
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
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.…
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.
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.
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…
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.
This book, authored by a pioneer in the understanding of the BPD concept, is directed to professionals. However, for the lay reader, many concepts will be enlightening. The book emerged from a realization that most mental health professionals were unfamiliar with highly specialized treatment programs but could provide “good enough” treatment. The book demystifies the disorder and offers pragmatic approaches to treatment, with emphasis on the need for partnership between therapist and patient.
The diagnosis and treatment of patients with BPD can be fraught with anxiety, uncertainty, and complexity. How welcome, then, is the Handbook of Good Psychiatric Management for Borderline Personality Disorder, which teaches clinicians what to do and how to do it, as well as what not to do and how to avoid it. The author, a renowned researcher and clinician, has developed a new evidence-based treatment, Good Psychiatric Management (GPM) that comfortably utilizes cognitive, behavioral, and psychodynamic interventions that are practical and simple to implement. Because psychoeducation is an important component of GPM, the book teaches clinicians how to educate…
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
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,…
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.”
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…
Not the Plan dives deeply into two main points of focus. The first, external, with the inner-workings of the world of politics. The second, internal, talking about Borderline Personality Disorder and the effects of growing up with a parent suffering from mental illness. In both cases, the author manage to explain concepts in a clear way without it feeling artificial or like she's trying to hold the reader by the hand. The story and the characters are very enjoyable and are not defined by the aforementioned themes, but are simply going their own way while dealing with it.
A very touching story from a rather unusual angle that only makes it richer.
An ambitious chief of staff risks her career and her heart when she falls hard for her new colleague in this steamy workplace romance from the author of Getting His Game Back.
“A sexy and sensitive love story set against a backdrop of political intrigue . . . I loved it!”—Ava Wilder, author of How to Fake It in Hollywood
After nearly a decade of experience in state politics, Isadora Maris is damn good at her job. Aggressive lobbyists and stonewalling senators are no match for her diplomacy and her unflappable commitment to her principles. If all goes according to…
