+ BPD General Information Guide

[Guest guest]

Hi KOs,

I'm responding to the question that was raised here about therapy for

BPs. One of the things I do, besides help moderate/facilitate on the

WelcomeToOz lists, is help Randi answer some of the email that comes

into the BPD Central website. I've included, below, some of the info we

send to people (both NonBPs and BPs) who send questions to the website.

Cheers,

- Edith

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1 - SWOE and Other Books & CDs About BPD:

The textbook on all the WelcomeToOz lists is " Stop Walking On Eggshells "

(SWOE), written by Randi Kreger along with Mason, psychologist. BPD

Central and the websites are all owned by Randi and books bought through

the website help support the website and these lists. The table of

contents and ordering info for SWOE are available at:

http://www.bpdcentral.com/books/swoe.shtml

Appendix A (p 235-240) of SWOE contains info about:

- Causes and Treatment of BPD

- Medication

- Therapy, and

- Outcomes

There are lots of other books listed on the BPD Central website at:

http://www.bpdcentral.com/books/more_books.shtml

For example:

" I'm Not Supposed to Be Here: My Recovery from BPD " by Reiland.

This new book is the true story of someone with BPD who recovered from

BPD. This book:

- Shows what it's like to have BPD; both thoughts and emotions.

- Shows what it's like to have a loved one with BPD, especially a

parent or partner.

- Presents an example of a clinician/patient relationship, and

- Is inclusive of other problems that go along with BPD, including an

eating disorder.

For more info about this book, go to:

http://www.bpdcentral.com/

and <click> " Featured Book " on the upper right hand corner of that

page.

Plus there are specialized booklets, including:

" Love and Loathing " at:

http://www.bpdcentral.com/books/loathing.shtml

" Hope for Parents " of children (of any age) who may have BPD, at:

http://www.bpdcentral.com/books/hope.shtml

A set of 3 Custody CDs at:

http://www.bpdcentral.com/cds/youremyworld.shtml

A book by Jeffery Leving et al. titled " Father's Rights " , and there's

the " Wisconsin Father’s Guide to Divorce and Custody " by Novak,

at:

http://www.bpdcentral.com/books/more_books.shtml#fathersrights

Books for BPs include:

~ " LOST IN THE MIRROR: An Inside Look at Borderline Personality

Disorder " by A. Moskowitz, MD. This is a self-help book for

those with BPD. This book is available in bookstores or it may be

ordered through BPDCentral at:

http://www.bpdcentral.com/books/more_books.shtml#lostinmirror

~ " ECLIPSES: Behind the borderline personality disorder: DBT therapy

from the patient's viewpoint " .

This book has been written especially for borderlines. The author, who

has been treated for borderline personality disorder, offers hope and

compassion to fellow borderlines and presents an introduction to

Dialectical Behavior Therapy in layperson's terms. More information

about this book is available at:

http://www.msano.com/eclipses.html

~ " THE ANGRY HEART: Overcoming Borderline and Addictive Disorders " , book

by ph Santoro, Cohen, ph Santoro PhD. ISBN: 1572240806.

This is an interactive self-help guide written primarily for BPs who

come from dysfunctional backgrounds, although it is also very helpful

for those who did not. You can e-mail or call the authors, read

excerpts, and find out about the author's treatment program at

http://www.slshealth.com

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2 - WHAT IS BPD?

Mental disorders are classified in the DSM-IV, the 4th edition of The

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the Am Psychiatric Assn (ie, the

psychiatrist's 'bible'). BPD was first recognized in the DSM in 1980.

For those who would like to examine the DSM-IV, an online version is

located at (then scroll down to Personality Disorders):

http://www.psychologynet.org/dsm.html

Things to keep in mind:

* EVERYONE has all the BPD traits to a certain extent. Especially

teenagers. For one to be diagnosed with BPD, the traits must be

long-standing (lasting years) and persistent. And they must be INTENSE.

* Be very careful about diagnosing yourself or others. In fact, don't do

it. Top researchers guide patients through several days of testing

before they make a diagnosis. Don't make your own diagnosis on the basis

of a WWW site or a book!

* Many people who have BPD also have other concerns, such as depression,

eating disorders, substance abuse--even multiple personality disorder or

attention deficit disorder. It can be difficult to isolate what is BPD

and what might be something else. Again, you need to talk to a

*qualified* professional familiar with treating BPD.

There is no " pure " BPD; it coexists with other illnesses. These are the

most common that BPD may coexist with:

Post traumatic stress disorder

Mood disorders

Panic/anxiety disorders

Substance abuse: 54% of BPs also have a problem

with substance abuse

Gender identity disorder

Attention deficit disorder

Eating disorders

Dissociative disorder (formerly multiple personality

disorder)

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)

A site I found very useful, because of my mother's BPD/NPD combo, was

Sam Vaknin's site. Sam Vaknin is a self-proclaimed malignant narcissist

who has written extensively about NPD. NPDs use others as their source

of " N-Supply " (ie, Narcissistic Supply).

NPD FAQs:

For those who would like more info about NPD, go to Sam Vaknin's FAQs

at (then scroll way way down):

http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/faq1.html

NPD Archives:

And, Sam Vaknin's NPD archives excerpts are located at (then scroll

down):

http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/archive01.html

FAQ #82: I've included, below, the URL of Sam Vaknin's FAQ #82 titled

" BPD, NPD and other Cluster B PDs " . In this FAQ, Sam Vaknin deals

briefly with the affinity between NPD and BPD (blurred differential

diagnoses, co-morbidity, etc).

http://samvak.tripod.com/faq82.html

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3 - THERAPY:

Not all therapists are knowledgable about or have been specially trained

to treat people who have BPD or their NonBP family members. There are

different therapies that do work. Questions that that can be asked when

looking for a BPD-knowledgable/trained therapist are listed on pages

238-239 of " Stop Walking On Eggshells " (SWOE) by Mason and Randi

Kreger.

See Randi's article titled " Finding a qualified clinician " at:

http://www.BPDCentral.com/nook/finding.htm

NonBPs can start with their local phone book or call any of the numbers

listed below. Call (interview by phone) three therapists and choose the

one you feel the most comfortable with. Or ask them for a referral. Or,

call three more.

Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive-behavioral

therapy developed by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D. at the University of

Washington that has been successfully used to treat people who have BPD.

For an overview of DBT (Dialectic Behavioral Therapy) go to:

http://www.priory.co.uk/dbt1.htm

For more info about DBT go to:

http://www.behavioraltech.com/basics.html

And, for even more info about DBT, go to:

http://www.tricycle.com/currentissue/on_the_borderline.html

To locate a DBT-trained therapist in your area through BRTC (Behavioral

Research and Therapy Clinics), call the phone number listed on the

following website:

http://www.brtc.psych.washington.edu

BTTG (Behavioral Technology Transfer Group) in Seattle WA has a list of

clinicians, both nationally and internationally, who have completed DBT

training with their company. You can send an email request for referral

to a DBT-trained therapist in your area to:

DBTinfo@...

For info on a treatment study at Cornell University, go to:

http://www.borderlinedisorders.com/colleagues/studies.htm

And, finally, NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) maintains a

list of therapists who treat BPD; their hotline number is 800-950-NAMI.

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The BPD Central website is located at:

http://www.BPDCentral.com

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