Sometimes I Act Crazy Living with Borderline Personality Disorder

by Kreisman, Jerold J.; Straus, Hal

• ISBN13: 9780471792147
• ISBN10: 0471792144
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-04-14
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

A source of hope, expert advice, and guidance for people with borderline personality disorder and those who love them Do you experience frightening, often violent mood swings that make you fear for your sanity? Are you often depressed? Do you engage in self-destructive behaviors such as drug or alcohol abuse, anorexia, compulsive eating, self-cutting, and hair pulling? Do you feel empty inside, or as if you don't know who you are? Do you dread being alone and fear abandonment? Do you have trouble finishing projects, keeping a job, or forming lasting relationships? If you or someone you love answered yes to the majority of these questions, there's a good chance that you or that person suffers from borderline personality disorder, a commonly misunderstood and misdiagnosed psychological problem afflicting tens of millions of people. Princess Diana was one of the most well-known BPD sufferers. As a source of hope and practical advice for BPD sufferers and those who love them, this new book by Dr. Jerold J. Kreisman and Hal Straus, bestselling authors of I Hate You, Don't Leave Me, offers proven techniques that help you: * Manage mood swings * Develop lasting relationships * Improve your self-esteem * Keep negative thoughts at bay * Control destructive impulses * Understand your treatment options * Find professional help

Author Biography

JEROLD J. KREISMAN, M.D., is a psychiatrist and leading world expert on Borderline Personality Disorder. His 1989 bestseller, I Hate You, Don't Leave Me, is considered a classic of both the popular and academic literature on BPD.

HAL STRAUS has written five books and numerous articles for such magazines as Ladies' Home Journal, Men's Health, and Redbook.

Table of Contents

A Note to the Reader	v
Preface	vii
Acknowledgments	ix
1 Borderline Basics	1	(18)
ACTION STEPS: A Quick BPD Checklist	12	(7)
2 Fears of Abandonment	19	(18)
ACTION STEPS: Dealing with Borderline Fears of Abandonment	34	(3)
3 Unstable Interpersonal Relationships	37	(20)
ACTION STEPS: Dealing with Intense Relationships	52	(5)
4 Identity Disturbance	57	(14)
ACTION STEPS: Establishing a Sense of Self	69	(2)
5 Destructive Impulsivity	71	(18)
ACTION STEPS: Managing Impulsivity	87	(2)
6 Suicidal Behaviors and Self-Mutilation	89	(28)
ACTION STEPS: Dealing with Self-Destructive Behaviors	114	(3)
7 Mood Instability	117	(16)
8 Emptiness	133	(18)
ACTION STEPS: Filling the Emptiness	149	(2)
9 Anger	151	(16)
ACTION STEPS: Strategies for Coping with Borderline Rage	164	(3)
10 Reality Distortions: Paranoia and Dissociation	167	(16)
ACTION STEPS: Dealing with Borderline Psychosis	180	(3)
11 Treatment Strategies and Communication Techniques	183	(22)
ACTION STEPS: Finding the Right Therapist	189	(8)
ACTION STEPS: General Approaches to Communication	197	(8)
12 Prognosis and Directions of Future Research	205	(12)
Resources	217	(1)
Publications	217	(1)
Audio and Video Programs	218	(1)
Organizations	218	(1)
Web Sites	219	(2)
Notes	221	(18)
Index	239