Understanding the problem. The clinical picture -- "Personality" and more -- Causes. The four faces of borderline personality disorder -- What the person has: the disease perspective -- The dimensions of borderline personality discorder -- Behaviors I: addiction and eating disorders -- Behaviors II: self-harming behaviors and dissociation -- The life story: childhood experiences, development, trauma -- Treatment. Treating the disease -- Treating the behaviors -- Understanding the dimensions and addressing the life story -- Treatment approaches: putting it all together -- Themes and variations -- How to cope, how to help. If you've been diagnosed with borderline personality discorder --- For parents, partners, friends, and co-workers.

Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Understanding the Problem -- The Clinical Picture -- Features of the Borderline Diagnosis -- Making the Diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder -- The Borderline Conundrum -- "Personality" and More -- Understanding "Personality" -- What Is a Personality Disorder? -- When Does "Personality" Become "Disorder"? -- Mood Disorders -- Self-Destructive Behaviors -- Traumatic Experiences -- The Bigger Picture -- Causes -- The Four Faces of Borderline Personality Disorder -- The Perspectives of Psychiatry -- What the Person Has: The Disease Perspective -- Mood Disorders -- Major Depressive Disorder -- Dysthymic Disorder -- Bipolar Disorders -- Borderline or Bipolar? -- Picturing Borderline Personality in the Brain -- Genetics -- The Dimensions of Borderline Personality Disorder -- Measuring Personality Traits -- The Five-Factor Model of Personality -- Traits and "States" -- The "Personality" in Borderline Personality -- Where Do Personality Traits Come From? -- Conclusions about Personality and the Borderline Diagnosis -- Behaviors I: Addiction and Eating Disorders -- Alcohol and Drug Addiction -- Eating Disorders -- Behaviors II: Self-Harming Behaviors and Dissociation -- Cutting and Other Forms of Self-Mutilation -- Why Do Individuals Self-Harm? -- Suicidal Behavior -- Dissociation -- Dissociative "Disorders" -- Dissociation Symptoms in Borderline Personality Disorder -- The Life Story: Childhood Experiences, Development, Trauma -- Childhood Experiences and the Borderline Diagnosis -- Borderline Personality Disorder and PTSD -- Life Events in Adulthood -- Treatment -- Treating the Disease -- What Do Medications Treat in Persons with Borderline Personality Disorder? -- Antidepressant Medications -- Mood-Stabilizing Medications -- Atypical Antipsychotic Medications -- Antianxiety Medications: Some Words of Caution -- Treating the Behaviors -- Stages of Change -- The Talking Cure: Psychotherapy -- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy -- CBT: A Closer Look -- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy -- Understanding the Dimensions and Addressing the Life Story -- Psychodynamic Therapies for Borderline Personality Disorder -- Psychotherapy for Borderline Personality Disorder: Summing Up -- Treatment Approaches: Putting It All Together -- Themes and Variations -- Gender Differences -- Borderline Personality Disorder in Adolescence -- International and Cross-Cultural Considerations -- How to Cope, How to Help -- If You've Been Diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder -- Diagnosis, Diagnosis, Diagnosis -- Assembling Your Treatment Team -- Acceptance and Committing to Getting Better -- The Role of Hospitalization -- The Costs of Addiction -- Looking for Happiness in All the Wrong Places -- For Parents, Partners, Friends, and Co-workers -- Getting Someone into Treatment -- Safety Issues -- Recognizing and Addressing Abusive Behaviors -- Borderline Personality Disorder in the Workplace -- Getting Support -- Epilogue -- Resources and Further Reading -- Theory and Development of the Borderline Concept: A Primer for Students and Therapists -- References -- Index