Borderline Personality Disorder: A Patient's Guide to Taking Control

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) frequently creates turmoil, dysfunction, and impairment in the lives of diagnosed people, as well as among their families, friends, and colleagues.

The disorder and lack of control that characterize BPD are, however, organized around consistent habits. The Taking Control Program presented by Fusco and Freeman targets these patterns, helping people understand, address, and, eventually, alter them for the better. Borderline Personality Disorder: A Patient’s Guide to Taking Control is your means to begin to take command of your life by following the therapeutic course described in these pages. Chapter by chapter, you will explore the nine basic patterns that typify BPD. Once you understand each of these patters, you will then assess the degree to which you exhibit any number of those patterns and learn various strategies that you can adopt to address those habits. The Patient’s Guide provides a step-by-step cognitive program rich in worksheets and exercises to facilitate your personal process of self-examination and problem solving. Fusco and Freeman offer those diagnosed with BPD, as well as their therapists, invaluable guidance in negotiating the pitfalls of BPD as you move ahead toward the prospect of retaking control over your life.

Arthur Freeman, EdD, is chief psychologist and director of training at Sheridan Shores Care and Rehabilitation Center, Chicago. He lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Gina M. Fusco, Psy. D., is a licensed psychologist in Philadelphia. She is a System of Care Clinical Director for Alternative Behavioral Services, a comprehensive behavioral healthcare program for high-risk adolescents. She has led clinical diagnostic teams for juvenile detention centers, and has created several crisis intervention programs for psychiatric hospitals. She has authored and coauthored chapters on the treatment of crisis-prone patients, crisis intervention, and personality disorders. She lectures at The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia.