Understanding your Borderline Personality Disorder

Chris Healy is a mental health staff nurse with more than a decade’s experience of working with mentally ill offenders. She is the author of Understanding Your Schizophrenia Illness: A Workbook (Wiley, 2007).

About the author vii

Preface ix

Series Editor Preface xi

Acknowledgements xiii

UNDERSTANDING YOUR ILLNESS

Below are common questions that you, your family and others may ask when discussing your condition: Borderline Personality Disorder. These questions will provide the format for the sessions and hopefully provide you with information that enhances your understanding, so that you can lead a more positive life.

Session 1 1

What does personality mean? 3

What is a personality disorder? 8

What have people said about Borderline Personality Disorder? 10

What is it like to suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder? 11

Session 2 15

Can you inherit Borderline Personality Disorder? 17

Is it something to do with the brain? 17

Does the environment in which you grew up cause you to develop

Borderline Personality Disorder? 19

What famous people suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder? 21

Session 3 23

What are the symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder? 25

What famous people have self harmed? 35

Session 4 41

What are talking therapies? 43

What are creative arts therapies? 49

What are the roles of professionals who treat me? 52

What difficulties might I anticipate regarding a working relationship with my therapist? 54

Session 5 57

How can medication help with the symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder? 59

How can you work with your GP regarding your prescribed medication? 60

What is the most commonly prescribed medication? 61

Session 6 69

Wheel of mood swings 73

Wheel of psychosis 87

Wheel of impulsive behaviours 96

Wheel of emptiness and boredom 103

Wheel of suicidal ideas 110

Wheel of abandonment 117

Wheel of relationships 127

Wheel of self harming 139

Wheel of anger 157

Wheel of self identity 166

Bibliography and Further Reading 177

Index 183