Understanding your Borderline Personality Disorder: A Workbook

209 Pages·2008·3.25 MB·English

by  Chris Healy

Understanding Your Borderline
Personality Disorder
A Workbook
Chris Healy
Understanding Your Borderline Personality Disorder
Understanding Your Borderline
Personality Disorder
A Workbook
Chris Healy
Copyright  2008 John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester,
West Sussex PO19 8SQ, England
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Email (for orders and customer service enquiries):
Contents
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
v
CONTENTS
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
vi
CONTENTS
About the Author
I first trained as a general nurse over 30 years ago and admit to feeling out of my depth at
times regarding understanding those with mental health issues. I will also state that some
of my ignorance and attitude was shaped by negative media reports. But since training as
a staff nurse in psychiatry I have gained much insight and understanding of sufferers and
their families.
I have worked for 12 years on a medium secure ward; most of the clients I nurse have
committed crimes due to their illness. It is not common that those with mental health issues
commit crimes but if their illness is left untreated and allowed to become more and more
severe, sufferers who are acutely ill may unintentionally end up in prison.
vii
ABOUT THE AUTHOR