Borderline personality disorder is a severe and complex psychiatric
condition that, until recently, many considered nearly untreatable. But
this optimistic guide to BPD provides information that will bring
newfound hope to those who have this painful disorder, and to their
family and friends.
People with borderline personality disorder have problems coping with
almost everything, and therefore anything can provoke them to impulsive
actions, angry outbursts, and self-destructive behaviors. Their personal
relationships are simultaneously overly dependent and strained, if not
openly hostile, and frequently explosive. Incorporating the latest
research and thinking on the disorder, Johns Hopkins psychiatrists
Francis Mark Mondimore and Patrick Kelly conceptualize it in an original
way. They explain that symptoms are the result of biological and
behavioral problems, extremes of temperament, and impaired psychological
coping, all of which may have a relationship with traumatic life events.
The authors advocate a therapeutic approach incorporating compassion and
optimism in the face of what is often a tumultuous disease. With proper
treatment, people with borderline personality disorder can enjoy long
remissions and improved quality of life.