07. Borderline Personality Disorder Demystified - Robert O. Friedel, MD

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Borderline Personality Disorder Demystified: An Essential Guide for Understanding and Living with BPD Author: Robert O. Friedel, MD Publisher: Marlowe & Company (July 14, 2004) Paperback: 320 pages ISBN-10: 1569244561 ISBN-13: 978-1569244562

Book Description
Over six million Americans suffer from borderline personality disorder (BPD), a chronic, disabling psychiatric condition that causes extreme instability in their emotional lives, behavior, and self-image and severely impacts their family and friends. But despite the devastation it can cause, borderline personality disorder remains largely overlooked by the medical community, misunderstood by the public, and many people continue to go misdiagnosed or untreated. In Borderline Personality Disorder Demystified, Dr. Robert Friedel, a leading expert on the disorder and a pioneer in its treatment, turns his vast personal experience into a useful and supportive guide for everyone living with and seeking to understand this condition. Friedel sheds light on all the intricacies of borderline personality disorder, such as the course it takes, the difficulties in diagnosing it, and the types of treatment available, and offers effective advice on the best ways to cope with it. Filled with wisdom and encouragement, Borderline Personality Disorder Demystified is essential reading for everyone diagnosed with BPD, those who think they might have the illness, and friends and family who love and support them.

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.

[Randi Kreger]

There are a lot of general books about BPD from a scientific point of view. In my opinion, the best one is BPD Demystfied. The author is Rober Friedel, a psychiatrist. The link to his site and book is www.BPDdemystified.com/. There is also a lot of great info about BPD.I also know Robert and have interviewed him many times about the way the brain works (or doesn't work) and how that contributes to BPD. After a lot of research, I am absolutely convinced the cause of BPD is extremely biological.Dr. Friedel writes in the book about his sister, who had BPD. She died. This has made him very passionate about the subject. What Dr. Friedel does well is take the latest studies and write them in a layman's language. I recommend the book and his website.

[elphaba]

Someone else mentioned Dr. Friedel's info to me last night and I read through a bunch of the website... .very interesting.

When I look at his info on BPD/ADHD I find that I was completely correct in my assumption that the medication DB was given for his ADHD actually made the problem worse... .same goes for a few of my other "assumptions" based on the research I had done on my own before all of this including all the issues surrounding drug use (pot, cocaine).

Friedel does acknowledge that a huge part of this may be genetic and not necessarily childhood abuse which was the case with DB... .he grew up in a loving family, no abuse, the problem existed from the day he was born.

Nice to feel slightly validated.

I would highly recomend that people read through some of the information on his website.

[Abigail]

  I recently read his book and I also found it very helpful and informative.  The website is great too.  You are correct Randi, in that he does an excellent job of taking the scientific studies and explaining it in layman's terms.  This is definitely one of the books that I would recommend reading to understand BPD.  I also ascribe to a strong biological basis for BPD as I have seen dramatic differences in my husband due to the medications he takes and a few others who are on the same medication treatment plan.

   Elphaba,

      My husband had to have his BPD stabilized first before his doctor would treat his ADHD.  He is treated for both and doing great!

     I emailed Dr. Friedel to ask him a few questions and he responded promptly.  He agreed that the occurrence of BPD is probably higher than the 2% that is generally quoted.  Not enough studies to come up with a better number.

   Abigail

[Randi Kreger]

He is just a nice guy. I can't tell you how many hours he spent with me on the phone explaining the hard structures of the brain and the brain's neurochemistry and how impairments are associated with BPDlike thoughts, feelings, and impulsive actions. Poor guy, I had to distill it all down to a few pages an an analogy that has to do with FedEx packages! He said he liked it, though.

[Randi Kreger]

Dr. Friedel, one of the nicest men ever who has always been a wonderful resource for me, did a telephone conference in May for the NEA-BPD. It is really magnificent, and so far he's the only clinician I know who has really addressed the issue of higher functioning BPs who do not seek therapy. Here is the link (it is free). Scroll down to May or just search for his name on this page. www.borderlinepersonalitydisorder.com/audio-pres.shtml

[qcarolr]

The website has some great info on it for the BPD person. So how do I get this into the hands of my D when I am going to court tomorrow to make my restraining order permanent before she gets our of jail and I am struggling to do the letting go everyone around me is supporting. And I read this material about the importance of family to the BPD, and this is creating doubt about how this fits with letting go.

So how do I communicate that D taking responsibility to get treatment is how we can re-establish contact? I will ask my lawyer, and the judge, how this can be included in the protective order. How to let go without feeling like it is abandonment for both me as mom and her as daughter. She has depended so heavily on me for these 23 years. How will this work out?

[angelone]

So how do I communicate that D taking responsibility to get treatment is how we can re-establish contact? I will ask my lawyer, and the judge, how this can be included in the protective order. How to let go without feeling like it is abandonment for both me as mom and her as daughter. She has depended so heavily on me for these 23 years. How will this work out?

Hello,

I am wondering if you were able to find answers to your questions? I have been asking the same questions for years and until today I don't know what to do or how to help my daughter!

[qcarolr]

angelone - it has been a long journey from this entry to today. Too much story to put much here. We did re-establish contact, she has been in and out of our home -- homeless much of the past 4 years. She still resist treatment for her substance use and mental health issues.

Learning more and more about the interpersonal neurology of DD27 has helped me understand the processes better. Still struggle in applying the many tools and skills I have learned here. I feel that much of this is my own lack of courage in tough situations with my family. I know I do the best I can, it just sometimes could be more consistent. Have to let go of DD over and over - I am such a rescuer for many people in my life.

Gaining knowledge is first step, understanding how this works relative to me and my relationships come next, and hopefully some wisdom filters in along the way -- being mindful to feel more calm so can access all the awesome tools in my bag.

qcr