A Concise Guide to Borderline Personality Disorder

• Will be of particular interest to psychiatrists, psychiatry students, psychologists, psychology students, psychotherapists, and other students in the mental health field. Additionally, it would be helpful for staff development professionals who provide education to individuals on inpatient psychiatric units. This book is beneficial because of its exclusive focus on borderline personality disorder in clinical practice... a valuable addition to the library of those clinicians who work with characterologically disturbed individuals--Doody's Review, 4 stars, 90 score

A brief, practical guide to the most current research on and treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD).

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with severe emotion dysregulation, widespread impulsivity, and highly unstable interpersonal relationships. BPD patients often threaten suicide, make attempts, or suffer from chronic suicidal ideation. The disorder is difficult to diagnose because it is complex, straddles multiple domains and often appears alongside several comorbidities. For all these reasons it is exceedingly difficult to treat, and presents a major challenge for mental health providers.

In this updated, practical and evidence-based guide, author Joel Paris uses the biopsychosocial model to contextualize and inform diagnosis and treatment for BPD. Chapters describe risk factors associated with BPD, the development of BPD across the lifespan, and how BPD can be managed in therapy. While dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), is the most often studied therapeutic approach with this population, common factors in all approaches can be utilized to help patients regulate emotions, reduce impulsivity, and improve their interpersonal skills. Common challenges such as the length, expense, and general accessibility of treatment are examined in detail, as is as the risk of suicidality.

Introduction

• Chapter 1. Diagnosis and Misdiagnosis
• Chapter 2. Prevalence, Precursors, and Outcomes
• Chapter 3. A Biopsychosocial Model of Borderline Personality Disorder
• Chapter 4. Treatment Methods
• Chapter 5. Access to Treatment
• Chapter 6. The Problem of Suicidality
• Chapter 7. Summary and Future Directions

References

Joel Paris, MD, is emeritus professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University. He is also research associate in the Department of Psychiatry at Sir Mortimer B. Davis‐Jewish General Hospital and associate psychiatrist at McGill University Health Centre. Dr. Paris founded the community and family psychiatric clinics at each of these institutions. He is the author of 25 books, 50 book chapters, and over 200 peer-reviewed journal articles.

If I had to suggest a definitive book that clinicians in practice need to be more immediately helpful to patients who have borderline personality disorder, BPD, it's Paris’s A Concise Guide to Borderline Personality Disorder. An alternative to a technically focused manualized therapy, this book offers an integrated synthesis of the current state of knowledge about BPD written by an expert in the field who understands what the typical clinician who won’t practice a specialized approach needs in order to be informed about this complex disorder.
—Lois W. Choi-Kain, MD, MEd, Director, Gunderson Personality Disorders Institute, Belmont, MA; Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Distinguished Fellow, American Psychiatric Association

Dr. Paris is a consummate clinical educator who has influenced generations of mental health clinicians. This book distills a lifetime of clinical wisdom and blends it with Paris’s deep knowledge and masterful critical appraisal of the research literature. This practical guide has something for everyone. It is essential reading for trainees and practicing clinicians in all mental health disciplines.
—Andrew Chanen, MBBS (Hons), BMedSci (Hons), MPM, PhD, FRANZCP, Professor, Orygen, Parkville, VIC and The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Practical, research-informed, and clinically focused, Joel Paris has given us an essential guide to BPD diagnosis and treatment. This book is like having an on-hand professional consultant, full of wise, evenly balanced advice and case examples on how to personalize treatment.
—Brin F. S. Grenyer, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia; Director of the Project Air Strategy for Personality Disorders

This is a deeply instructive text on the treatment of borderline personality disorder. It is not only richly informative but also written in a very straightforward and readily understood manner.
—Thomas A. Widiger, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States; Editor, Oxford Handbook of Personality Disorders

This is a well-organized account of borderline personality disorder that provides a broad and concise overview that should appeal to the targeted readership. The overall approach is balanced and grounded in relevant evidence.
—John Livesley, MD, PhD, FRSC, Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada