Guest guest Posted May 30, 2002 Report Share Posted May 30, 2002 Hi KOs, One of the things I do around here, besides being one of the moderators/facilitators on the WelcomeToOz Family of NonBP support groups, is help Randi answer some of the email that comes into BPD Central. We receive all kinds of questions from both Nons and BPs all over the world. SWOE is now being translated into several languages. We've accumulated lots of answers and website URLs and I've organized them into the following sections -- and thought you'd like to have a copy. 1 - What Is BPD? 2 - Email Support Groups 3 - Therapy 4 - Books and Booklets 5 - Live Chat and Regional Support Groups _________ 1 - WHAT IS BPD? Mental disorders are classified in the DSM-IV, the 4th edition of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the Am Psychiatric Assn (ie, the psychiatrist's 'bible'). For those who would like to examine the DSM-IV, an online version is located at (then scroll down to Personality Disorders): http://www.psychologynet.org/dsm.html Things to keep in mind: * EVERYONE has all the BPD traits to a certain extent. Especially teenagers. For one to be diagnosed with BPD, the traits must be long-standing (lasting years) and persistent. And they must be INTENSE. * Be very careful about diagnosing yourself or others. In fact, don't do it. Top researchers guide patients through several days of testing before they make a diagnosis. Don't make your own diagnosis on the basis of a WWW site or a book! * Many people who have BPD also have other concerns, such as depression, eating disorders, substance abuse--even multiple personality disorder or attention deficit disorder. It can be difficult to isolate what is BPD and what might be something else. Again, you need to talk to a *qualified* professional familiar with treating BPD. ~The DSM Definition of BPD: A pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects (moods), and marked impulsivity beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following: 1. Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment. Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behavior covered in (5). 2. A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation. This is called " splitting. " 3. Identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self. 4. Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating, shoplifting). Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behavior covered in (5). 5. Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behavior. 6. Affective instability (rapid mood changes) due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days). 7. Chronic feelings of emptiness. 8. Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights). 9. Transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms. Dissociation is the state in which, on some level or another, one becomes somewhat removed from " reality, " whether this be daydreaming, performing actions without being fully connected to their performance ( " running on automatic " ), or other, more disconnected actions. It is the opposite of " association " and involves the lack of association, usually of one's identity, with the rest of the world. There is no " pure " BPD; it coexists with other illnesses. These are the most common that BPD may coexist with: Post traumatic stress disorder Mood disorders Panic/anxiety disorders Substance abuse: 54% of BPs also have a problem with substance abuse Gender identity disorder Attention deficit disorder Eating disorders Dissociative disorder (formerly multiple personality disorder) Obsessive-compulsive disorder Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) A site I found to be very useful, because of my mother's and hubby's BPD/NPD combo, was Sam Vaknin's site. Sam Vaknin is a self-proclaimed malignant narcissist who has written extensively about NPD. NPDs use other people as a source of " N-Supply " (ie, Narcissistic Supply). For those who would like more info about NPD, go to (then scroll way way down): http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/faq1.html And, Sam Vaknin's NPD archives excerpts are at (then scroll down): http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/archive01.html And, I've included, below, the URL of Sam Vaknin's FAQ #82 titled " BPD, NPD and other Cluster B PDs " . In this FAQ, Sam Vaknin deals briefly with the affinity between NPD and BPD (blurred differential diagnoses, co-morbidity, etc). http://samvak.tripod.com/faq82.html _______________ 2 - EMAIL SUPPORT GROUPS: Our most active NonBP email support group is the WelcomeToOz list. There are over 1,200 people on that list and they generate around 125 posts/day. To join our WelcomeToOz list go to: http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/WelcomeToOz To join a list that's not quite that active, there's our NonBP-main list. To join NonBP-main, go to: http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/NonBP-main And, we have lots of other specialty lists, including: WTOdivorcing WTOstaying WTOparenting (for those co-parenting with a BP) WTOparentsOfBPs WTOgrandparents WTOsibling ModOasis (for the NonBP adult offspring of BP parents) There are over two dozen email support groups altogether in the WelcomeToOz Family of lists. The WelcomeToOz lists are for NonBPs. We have special rules for BPs who want to post. Those rules appear in the Guidelines posted to all the WelcomeToOz lists on the 1st day of each month. For more info about our lists, go to: http://www.bpdcentral.com/support/email.shtml BPs looking for an online email support group can go to: http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/dir/1600233766 and <press> 'Borderline Personality Disorder' AshRisen (also known as " On The Border " ) is a Borderline Recovery Support area - open to people with BPD who are willing to stay focused on living healthier and happier lives. If your BP wishes to join, the URL is: http://pub69.ezboard.com/bashrisen40890 _____________ 3 - THERAPY There is an article by Randi on " How to choose a BPD therapist " in the BPD Central Library at: http://www.bpdcentral.com/resources/therapist/main.shtml The basic 'text' used on the WelcomeToOz email support groups for NonBPs is " Stop Walking On Eggshells " (SWOE) by Randi Kreger along with Mason, psychologist. The table of contents and ordering info for SWOE are available at: http://www.bpdcentral.com/books/swoe.shtml In Appendix A (p 235-240) of SWOE there is info about: - Causes and Treatment of BPD - Medication - Therapy, and - Outcomes Not all therapists are knowledgable about or have been specially trained to treat people with BPD and their NonBP family members. There are different therapies that do work. Questions that that can be asked when looking for a BPD-knowledgable/trained DBT therapist are listed on pages 238-239 of " Stop Walking On Eggshells " (SWOE) by Mason and Randi Kreger. NonBPs can start with their local phone book. Call three therapists and choose the one you feel the most comfortable with. Or ask them for a referral. Or, call three more. Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy developed by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D. at the University of Washington that has been successfully used to treat people who have BPD. For an overview of DBT (Dialectic Behavioral Therapy) go to: http://www.priory.co.uk/dbt1.htm For more info about DBT go to: http://www.behavioraltech.com/basics.html And, for even more info about DBT, go to: http://www.tricycle.com/currentissue/on_the_borderline.html To locate a DBT-trained therapist in your area through BRTC (Behavioral Research and Therapy Clinics), call the phone number listed on the following website: http://www.brtc.psych.washington.edu Also, the BTTG (Behavioral Technology Transfer Group) in Seattle, WA has a list of clinicians, both nationally and internationally, who have completed DBT training with their company. You can send an email request for referral to a DBT-trained therapist in your area to: DBTinfo@... For info on a treatment study at Cornell University, go to: http://www.borderlinedisorders.com/colleagues/studies.htm NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) maintains a list of therapists who treat BPD; their hotline number is 800-950-NAMI. _____________ 4 - BOOKS and BOOKLETS: As I wrote above, the text here is SWOE. BPD Central and the websites are all owned by Randi and books bought through the website help support the website and these lists. The table of contents and ordering info for SWOE are available at: http://www.bpdcentral.com/books/swoe.shtml Books & CDs for NonBPs: There are lots of self-help books for NonBPs listed on the BPD Central website at: http://www.bpdcentral.com/books/more_books.shtml " I'm Not Supposed to Be Here: My Recovery from BPD " by Reiland. This new book is the true story of someone with BPD who recovered from BPD. For more info about this book, go to: http://www.bpdcentral.com/ and <click> on " Featured Book " in the upper right hand corner. " Understanding The Borderline Mother " by Ann Lawson. This book can be ordered through www.amazon.com or www.half.com A book by Jeffery Leving et al. titled " Father's Rights " , and there's the " Wisconsin Father’s Guide to Divorce and Custody " by Novak, at: http://www.bpdcentral.com/books/more_books.shtml#fathersrights Plus there are specialized Eggshell booklets, including: " Love and Loathing: Protecting Your Mental Health and Legal Rights When Your Partner has Borderline Personality Disorder " . More info about Love and Loathing is at: http://www.bpdcentral.com/books/loathing.shtml " Hope for Parents: Helping Your Borderline Son or Daughter Without Sacrificing Your Family Or Yourself " . Hope for Parents is for the parents of children (of any age) who may have BPD, and info is available at: http://www.bpdcentral.com/books/hope.shtml " You're My World: A Non-BP's Guide to Custody " is a set of 3 Custody CDs, at: http://www.bpdcentral.com/cds/youremyworld.shtml Books for BPs include: ~ " LOST IN THE MIRROR: An Inside Look at Borderline Personality Disorder " by A. Moskowitz, MD. This is a self-help book for those with BPD. http://www.bpdcentral.com/books/more_books.shtml#lostinmirror ~ " ECLIPSES: Behind the borderline personality disorder: DBT therapy from the patient's viewpoint " . This book has been written especially for borderlines. The author, who has been treated for borderline personality disorder, offers hope and compassion to fellow borderlines and presents an introduction to Dialectical Behavior Therapy in layperson's terms. http://www.msano.com/eclipses.html ~ " THE ANGRY HEART: Overcoming Borderline and Addictive Disorders " , book by ph Santoro, Cohen, ph Santoro PhD. ISBN: 1572240806. This is an interactive self-help guide written primarily for BPs who come from dysfunctional backgrounds, although it is also very helpful for those who did not. You can e-mail or call the authors, read excerpts, and find out about the author's treatment program at http://www.slshealth.com __________ 5 - LIVE CHAT and REGIONAL SUPPORT GROUPS Live Chat A chatroom is available just for NonBP members of WelcomeToOz at #Tinman'sPub on a Dalnet server on IRC. Instructions for joining are at: http://tinmanspub.paxhaven.net/ If you're totally unfamiliar with IRC, you can go to http://www.dalnet.com and join the chat using their web-based java chat server. When the window opens, type in " /join #Tinman'sPub " without the quotes, and press <return>. More info about the TinMansPub is in the Guidelines which are posted to all the WelcomeToOz lists on the 1st day of each month. Regional Support Groups Helen, who maintains a full list of resources about BPD at http://home.hvc.rr.com/helenbpd/ has a message board where NonBPs can register their interest in creating/joining a real life regional support group. You can check it out at: http://www.voy.com/79827/ __________ Cheers, - Edith One of the moderators / WelcomeToOz Family of NonBP lists. .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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