Book Description
Even though seventeen million Americans (17,000,000) suffer from this disorder, it is not well understood. There is a lot of misinformation in the public domain - mostly because Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is an extremely complex disorder.
Personality Disorder Demystified is an excellent resource to help someone become "grounded" in the basics of the disorder and have a reliable basis to go forward and sort through the available resources to help themselves and their loved one. The author is well founded technically and in personal experience - he is an MD and his sister has the disorder. His book is both hopeful and compassionate.
The book is very broad as it covers the history, causes and course of the disorder as well as the most common pharmacological and therapeutic treatments. There is even a chapter on BPD and the brain with a lot of detail on the specific neural pathways involved in impulsive behavior, and memory impairment. The Glossary lists medical terms used in many publications. There is also a section on resources that contains a list of organizations and groups that offer information and support to patients, families and friends with Borderline Personality Disorder and related illnesses.
This is an excellent first read and everyone involved with a BPD loved one should have a copy. It is, however, not a "how to" book. Only one chapter is dedicated to the family members of a BPD loved one - and it is a short chapter. A family member will need other resources for this purpose.
The chapters include: What is Borderline Personality Disorder and How is it Diagnosed?; You Are Not Alone [if you have BPD]; The History of Borderline Personality Disorder; What are the Causes; Tracing The Course of The Disorder; Borderline Disorder and the Brain; Common Co-occurring Disorders; Treatment; Borderline Personality Disorder in Children; When a Loved One Has Borderline Personality Disorder; Research: The Ultimate Reason for Hope.
About the Author
Dr. Friedel is Distinguished Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Virginia Commonwealth University, and Professor Emeritus at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Duke University, and completed an internship in internal medicine and a residency in psychiatry at Duke. He served for two years as a research fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland.
Most recently, Dr. Friedel was Heman E. Drummond Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He has also served as chair of the departments of psychiatry at Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Michigan, and Executive Director of the Mental Health Research Institute at the University of Michigan. Dr. Friedel has worked in the private sector as Senior Vice President, Physician-in-Chief, Director of Research and as a member of the Board of Directors of Charter Medical Corporation.
# Paperback: 320 pages
# Publisher: Marlowe & Company (July 14, 2004)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 1569244561
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