Product Description

A source of hope, expert advice, and guidance for people with borderline personality disorder and those who love them

Do you experience frightening, often violent mood swings that make you fear for your sanity? Are you often depressed? Do you engage in self-destructive behaviors such as drug or alcohol abuse, anorexia, compulsive eating, self-cutting, and hair pulling? Do you feel empty inside, or as if you don't know who you are? Do you dread being alone and fear abandonment? Do you have trouble finishing projects, keeping a job, or forming lasting relationships?

If you or someone you love answered yes to the majority of these questions, there's a good chance that you or that person suffers from borderline personality disorder, a commonly misunderstood and misdiagnosed psychological problem afflicting tens of millions of people. Princess Diana was one of the most well-known BPD sufferers.

As a source of hope and practical advice for BPD sufferers and those who love them, this new book by Dr. Jerold J. Kreisman and Hal Straus, bestselling authors of I Hate You, Don't Leave Me, offers proven techniques that help you:
* Manage mood swings
* Develop lasting relationships
* Improve your self-esteem
* Keep negative thoughts at bay
* Control destructive impulses
* Understand your treatment options
* Find professional help

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51399 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-03
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .68" h x 6.11" w x 9.24" l, .73 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Kreisman’s I Hate You, Don’t Leave Me, a rigorous but informal introduction to Borderline Personality Disorder, was published in 1989, and has sold 300,000 copies since. This follow-up volume incorporates advances in the understanding of BPD that have been made in the last 15 years, as well as new case studies and anecdotes (the book begins with a patient named "Diana" who turns out be the late UK princess) and a less gloomy prognosis. Most of the 12 chapters begin with a particular patient, detailing specific symptoms and behaviors in a pulpy prose style, often including first person narrative ("Doc, you probably want to hear how horrible my mom and dad were") and reconstructed dialogue ("‘Fine,’ Patty bites off, impatiently shifting her weight to one hip. ‘Anything else?’"). While these narrative descriptions are a little hokey, they are packed with behaviors that Kreisman then proceeds to take up and unfold, all the while gently introducing technical terms as needed, and making suggestions for how to cope, verbally or otherwise, with a host of Borderline behaviors in family, lover or friend. The case studies occasionally have a lurid quality (particularly since BPD often involves acting out sexually) that is completely undercut by Kreisman’s patient analyses, making the book feel a little split. But even at its most garish, the book sticks close to the facts, and Kreisman’s commentary is expert and imperturbable.
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From the Back Cover
"Kreisman's commentary is expert. . . . [He] incorporates advances in the understanding of BPD that have been made in the last fifteen years, as well as new case studies and anecdotes. . . . Narrative descriptions . . . are packed with behaviors that Kreisman then proceeds to take up and unfold, all the while . . . making suggestions for how to cope, verbally or otherwise, with a host of Borderline behaviors."
–Publishers Weekly

Do you experience frightening mood swings? Are you oversensitive to rejection or prone to violent outbursts? Are you often depressed? Do you dread being alone and fear abandonment? Do you engage in self-destructive behaviors such as drug abuse or eating disorders? Do you feel empty inside? Do you have trouble keeping a job or forming lasting relationships?

If you or someone you love can answer yes to many of these questions, there's a good chance that you or that person suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder, a commonly misunderstood and misdiagnosed psychological problem afflicting millions of people.

In this book, the bestselling authors of I Hate You, Don't Leave Me offer BPD sufferers and their loved ones a new source of hope. After reading this book, you will understand the disorder and know what steps to take to help you make your life happier and more rewarding, whether you suffer from BPD yourself or love someone who does. Drawing on Dr. Jerold Kreisman's long experience in treating BPD patients, Sometimes I Act Crazy offers proven, practical advice to help you:

• Manage mood swings
• Develop lasting relationships
• Improve your self-esteem
• Keep negative thoughts at bay
• Control destructive impulses
• Understand your treatment options
• Find professional help

About the Author
JEROLD J. KREISMAN, M.D., is a psychiatrist and leading world expert on Borderline Personality Disorder. His 1989 bestseller, I Hate You, Don't Leave Me, is considered a classic of both the popular and academic literature on BPD.

HAL STRAUS has written five books and numerous articles for such magazines as Ladies' Home Journal, Men's Health, and Redbook.