Borderline Personality Disorder For Dummies Paperback – July 27, 2009

This book can be rather rehabilitating to read at first since, like most mental health books, it focuses on the symptoms (and the worst of them). At first, it made me feel like an unchangeable monster.However, I found that reading one section on the symptom and then the corresponding section on how to help decrease affects of a symptom really helped me keep perspective and hope. Skip to the sections that are most relevant to you, but have caution about reading it straight through (especially if you have the disorder, it can be very draining and disheartening). Make sure you have good supports in place for if the book gets difficult to read (whether that is social, or just personal coping skills such as journaling).All in all, this book provides a comprehensive and wholistic view of the disorder. The writers do sometimes make sweeping, negative statements about how “people with BPD cannot master the art of emotional regulation.” Ignore that stuff and press on and this book will provide you with info about the symptoms and treatment for the disorder AND how to respond if you know or love someone with BPD. I’ve found it very helpful! Plus, if you don’t quite agree with the info in the book itself there are a TON of resources in the back of the book recommending other helpful reads. A good first books for someone looking for a cursory glance of how people struggle and can learn to thrive with Borderline Personality Disorder.

Gives some basic information that can lend understanding and reassurance that there is hope is your willing to work for it--from both parties wanting it to work, that is. If only the Non-BPD family member wants it to work, you won't be able to fix it, but if you choose to live with it, it MIGHT give you some tools or insight to better understand what to do.

Great resource for anyone who wants to learn more about BPD. I like the layout as it's clear and easy to find chapters/sections on particular topics so you can jump around a little depending on what you need to know about. I would not, however, use this as a resource for treatment, although it goes over various therapies and approaches to treatment, if you are looking for practical and helpful approaches to treating BPD, I would recommend a DBT workbook.

Another book I bought to get a better understanding of BPD and how it affects different people. I also got this book to brush up on my earlier university psychology classes. As previously stated, any time I want to research a subject, the first thing I do is to see if there is a ..."For Dummies" book on the subject. They always make the topic easy to understand!

As a licensed psychotherapist, I am always looking for innovative ways to help those of my clients with this diagnosis learn to control their symptoms, particularly the frequent emotional upheavals. Borderline Personality Disorder for Dummies is like having the "Cliff Notes" for the DSM-IV-TR! It has helped me help my clients to view this disorder within a much more hopeful framework!

I found that this book was very good at explaining the more technical jargon and was excellent at moving through the various stages and facets of the disorder.What gives me great pause was the dire finality in the chapters regarding the partner/husband/wife/friend of one suffering with BPD. It gives no advice as to how to implement any new strategies in understanding (which is what would be beneficial) of the BPD sufferer - it only gives ways to safely end a relationship and not allow violence. Yes, that is probably important to discuss, but it paints Borderlines as masochistic, manic individuals.I felt that these chapters were "borderline" ridiculous....at best.

A must for anyone who has bpd or anyone who loves someone with it. I found it really thorough for an intro book. The worksheets included are superb and very easy to use. Incredibly helpful for even an seasoned veteran to borderline personality disorder.

As a practicing psychologist I rarely find self help books that are "just the right mix" of wisdom, clinical description, and interventions that are also readable. After scanning over 50 books last week on BPD, this is the one I vote for!