Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder, First Ed

In tweleve-step groups they usually say something like "take what you need and leave the rest." I would suggest that non-borderline clients and the practitioners who help them follow that advice with this book. There is no need to erase us from the title of this book so that non-BPDs will feel less shame buying or using it. And there is no need to judge the exercises and handouts as overly simplistic. They are what they are. They were designed to help us (borderlines). If you are not borderline, and do not have experience working with borderlines, you really don't know what we need. Marsha Linehan does. I'm not claiming that every example or every exercise in the book works for every borderline, but M.L. does not claim that either! Many borderlines (including myself) were traumatized in early childhood and failed to learn basic skills at that age. Therefore, exercises that to the non-BPD sufferer seem designed for children, were actually designed for people who never had the chance to experience a normal childhood and learn the social skills that others learned as children. I do agree with the reviewers who say that much of DBT is helpful for people with other diagnoses, and even people who are not mentall ill, but this manual is for US, and does not need to be changed. Those who are not a part of the target audience should use what they can, and leave the rest - without judgement. Those practitioners who see the applicability of DBT to non-borderline patients should take the time to figure out what works and write new books with new therapies, based on DBT. That is what Marsha Linehan did. She took CBT as a framework and developed DBT for a specific population - people who suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder. For me, the DBT program that I attend, which uses this book as a handbook, has been invaluable. I needed this training. When I started DBT 5 months ago, while I did not feel suicidal, I felt that my self-destructive behaviors were eventually going to lead to my premature death. I had a term for this. I called myself "terminally incompetent" even though I have a high IQ, an advanced degree, etc. I just meant that eventually, my inability to simply get along in the world was going to kill me. I have felt this way all of my life, and I've been describing myself using that term for years, even though I had 10 years of therapy before this program. Now I still have ups and downs, and I still need many more years of therapy, but I know I'm going to make it. Thank you, Marsha Linehan, and thank you Transitional Day Treatment Program at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital (NYC).

After over thirty years of intense therapy for serious childhood abuse after-effects, this book and DBT in particular, has truly made my life worth living. I am a textbook case of abuse survivors, with all the symptoms and a borderline diagnosis too. Treatment of my condition (severe depression,anxiety,PTSD and major distrust of people)has become possible. I didn't think it would ever happen..but this book and therapy together has actually made it possible for me to cope much better, actually feel happy at times, and "unfreeze" me (I stayed home a lot and didn't want to go out, before, due to fear), now I go out and see myself growing every day..I also go to a therapy group that helps teach this book in more detail (DBT skills), if there's one in your area and you have severe problems with depression/anger/fear it is worth your while to check it out because very little has worked on me..until now. Thank you, Marsha Linehan!

I'm a psychology intern and we use this manual for multiple disorders, not just BPD. The skills, as others have suggested are essential to living a healthy, happy life, regardless of one's 'problems.' While most modern day psychotherapeutic techniques preach change, Linehan's work centers on centering. Acceptance balanced with change. Emotion balanced with logic. It's a wonderful new perspective on treating psychological disorders. And as an added bonus, in the age of managed care, it's one of the few treatments rooted in a humanistic understanding that will be readily reimbursed by HMO's. As both a therapist and a consumer of psychological literature, this work stands as one of the most helpful available. Well worth the money. And you can make copies of the handouts WITHOUT worrying about copyright infringement because the author has graciously given permission to do so. Linehan is really an asset to the psychological community.

This is new for me to write a reveiw. I first obtained this book in 1997. I received two long term therapy sessions and one short term. These skills were a magor factor of me getting thru some horribles times for the next 3 years. This book should be listed as a skills manual not only for Borderline but different mental disorders including all types of addiction.I highly recommend this theory to be taught in more areas than now being taught. I have been almost without any symtoms of Borderline and many other symtoms. Thanks to this manual. Marsha Lineham needs to be honored. Thanks for all the help.

I suffer from borderline personality disorder, and the content of this book has been a great help when dealing with my emotional disability. I love this book because it focuses on "treating" the disorder, whereas other books' focuses are often the cause of the disorder or pathology of it. The positive attitude of facing the real issues of those who suffer from borderline personality disorder is encouraging. I can see the author's deep understanding of the disorder, and I appreciate her efforts to explain what the probrems really are and how to deal with them.