Handbook of Good Psychiatric Management for Borderline Personality Disorder

by John G. Gunderson

The diagnosis and treatment of patients with BPD can be fraught with anxiety, uncertainty, and complexity. How welcome, then, is the Handbook of Good Psychiatric Management for Borderline Personality Disorder, which teaches clinicians what to do and how to do it, as well as what not to do and how to avoid it. The author, a renowned researcher and clinician, has developed a new evidence-based treatment, Good Psychiatric Management (GPM) that comfortably utilizes cognitive, behavioral, and psychodynamic interventions that are practical and simple to implement. Because psychoeducation is an important component of GPM, the book teaches clinicians how to educate their patients about BPD, including the role of genetics and the expected course of the disease. This approach offers advantages both to practitioners, who become more adept at honest communication, and to patients, who are encouraged to have realistic hopes and to focus on strategies for coping with BPD in daily life. The book is structured for maximum learning, convenience, and utility, with an impressive array of features. - Section I provides background on BPD, including the myths that sometimes discourage clinicians from treating these patients and that hamper the effective treatment of the disorder.- Section II, the GPM Manual, provides a condensed and clear description of the most essential and specific GPM interventions that clinicians can learn from and use in everyday practice.- Section III, the GPM Workbook, offers case vignettes which reference chapters from the manual. Each vignette has a number of "decision points" where alternative interventions are proposed and discussed. - To further facilitate learning, a set of nine interactions is found in a series of online video demonstrations. Here, readers can see in vivo illustrations of the GPM model in practice.- Finally, a set of appendices provides critical information, such as a comparison of GPM with other evidence-based treatments of BPD, scaling risk and response strategies, and family guidelines. Designed to be a basic case management text for all hospital, outpatient clinic, or office-based psychiatrists or mental health professionals who assume primary responsibility for the treatment of those with BPD, the Handbook of Good Psychiatric Management for Borderline Personality Disorder constitutes a breakthrough in the treatment of these often misunderstood patients.

Genres: Psychiatry, Psychology, Medicine

180 pages, Paperback

First published December 19, 2013

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been hearing this group at conferences for years and finally bought the book, and I wish I had done this years ago. The techniques for managing Borderline Personality Disorder are thoughtful, coming from CBT and dynamic roots, and they have been easy to apply to new patients. This month, I am making fewer med changes with my BPD patients, giving mire education, and seeing better results. And it’s only about 150 pages. Recommended to any outpatient pyschiatrist.

[Ila · Rating 4 out of 5]

My contrasting thoughts on a point I disagree with: Especially for borderline patients, it is important that the patient's therapist is available in crisis situations. In trial tests of schema therapy to date, therapists give patients a phone number to reach them in the event of a crisis or suicide attempt. If the therapist personally accompanies the patient, it not only prevents the crisis in time, but also provides a strong bond between the therapist and the patient. The patient's access to therapy creates the feeling of being valued and cared for. Awakening this feeling is very important for BPD. This does not mean 24-hour maintenance. If there is an acute crisis that requires intervention at that moment and the therapist is not available, the patient follows the other previously discussed protocol and seeks help from their doctor or a crisis centre.

[Kelli Ruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful content, every psychiatrist should have a copy!