Borderline Personality Disorder: The Latest Assessment ... (ISBN 1887537201)

I liked this book. Found it very useful and informative.:
The book is very clear and to-the-point. It provides very important information without going too much into useless details (like silly dramatic stories of very extreme cases I read in many other books that do not apply to me) Each chapter has a very clear, consise summaryand repeats definitions used in the text. What I found most useful is that the author provides comparison of different therapies available to-date based on scientific research, not her opinion allowing me to make my own choice. Having read this book, I know that my next step should be looking for DBT therapy with emphasis on cognitive schema-based approach. I also, found out that I should avoid not-so-helpful supportive therapy used with other disorders. The only drawback of this book, is that the author did not provide information of how to access appropriate therapies.

Disappointing ending:
While this book, in all it's earlier chapters does an excellent job of explaining the full mental, emotional and psychological make-up of someone suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder I was hugely disappointed and more than a bit let down towards the end when I read "Research has found no psychopharmacological agent to be superior to another for the broad spectrum of BPD symtoms. Clinicians have found these medications most effective for acute symptoms. MEDICATIONS GENERALLY SHOW LIMITED EFFICACY WHEN USED FOR MAINTENANCE." It seems that the general, underlying advice which this author gives is one of communal support groups or finding therapists who have the necessary knowledge of dealing with BPD. For those unfortunate people out there who know that they do have BPD but who either cannot afford a suitable therapist or who do not have the means of joining up with BPD support groups (due to distances involved or other insurmountable difficulities) - one feels let down after finally discovering the diagnosis as to what exactly ails you. A short section regarding available and used medications for BPD is discussed, together with their side effects too, but other than that - anyone who suffers from BPD will not get full guidance just how they can go about learning to deal with this most incapacitating illness. If you are looking for answers as to how to deal with your illness - this book sadly falls flat towards the end...