Coping with BPD

November 1, 2015

Coauthors Aguirre (psychiatry, Harvard Medical Sch.; Borderline Personality Disorder in Adolescents) and Galen (psychology, Harvard Medical Sch.; coauthor, Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder) present a practical workbook for individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and their therapists. The authors base their book on results from working with hundreds of young adults at Massachusetts's McLean Hospital. Their therapeutic treatment includes the use of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). DBT focuses on teaching skills to help people more effectively react to overwhelming emotions and challenges they may face in relationships, while CBT focuses on examining the relationships among thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Each chapter includes a succinct summation of a typical problem faced by someone with BPD, what the issue often looks like, skills and techniques that can be applied, and a brief checklist of questions for self-reflection. Wisely, the authors intentionally omit dealing with cases of suicide and self-injury, and they encourage anyone experiencing these thoughts to immediately contact their therapist or go to the nearest emergency room. They indicate that their skills with BPD disorder derive from the work of Dr. Marsha Linehan. VERDICT The emphasis on lay language and the numerous pragmatic problem-solving skills make this a superlative guide that will be helpful to those with BPD and clinical therapists who work with them.--Dale Farris, Groves, TX

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.