Additional information
by Lois W. Choi-Kain (Editor), Carla Sharp (Editor)
Somewhere between 11% and 22% of adolescents seeking mental health care in outpatient clinics-and between 33% and 49% of those in inpatient units--meet the diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD). Despite its high prevalence, however, and the high social and economic costs that it entails, BPD remains underdiagnosed, and sufficient training regarding its fundamentals and clinical management is largely unavailable for mental health professionals treating adolescents.
It is precisely these essential guidelines that clinicians will find in the Handbook of Good Psychiatric Management for Adolescents With Borderline Personality Disorder. Adapted from Dr. John Gunderson's good psychiatric management (GPM), a resource-efficient generalist treatment for adults with BPD, this manual uses GPM for adolescents (GPM-A) to demystify BPD in young people, describing common problems that arise during each phase or aspect of treatment, from patient rejection of diagnosis and conflicts among clinicians providing care to nonadherence to medications and concerns about stigma.
Case vignettes that feature key decision points propose alternative interventions and demonstrate how to apply the book's concepts in a variety of settings. Additionally, speech bubbles throughout the handbook offer suggestions for how to phrase explanations and interventions to communicate effectively with adolescent patients at an appropriate level.
Although the pragmatic GPM-A principles outlined in this book are based on real-world experience and bolstered by scientific evidence, they are not intended to be an end point for treatment. They are, rather, a road map to provide "good enough" care even in the absence of specialized treatments, and clinicians are encouraged to adjust the lessons as needed for their practice.
The education provided in the handbook is meant to be shared with patients, their families, schools, clinical teams, and trainees as a resource for motivation in persevering with the difficult but worthwhile investments in treatment.
Front Jacket
As many as 22% of adolescents seeking mental health care in outpatient clinics, and as many as 49% of those in inpatient units, meet the diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD). Despite its prevalence, however, and the social and economic burden it entails, BPD remains underdiagnosed. For mental health professionals treating adolescents, sufficient training regarding the fundamentals and clinical management of BPD also remains difficult to come by.
This is a gap that the Handbook of Good Psychiatric Management for Adolescents With Borderline Personality Disorder seeks to fill. This manual demystifies BPD in young people by using the principles of good psychiatric management (GPM) to offer clinicians essential guidelines for generalist care. The authors outline common problems that arise during each phase or aspect of treatment, from diagnosis and pharmacology to family interventions, and discuss how to address them.
In the pages of this handbook, readers will find case vignettes that propose and discuss alternative interventions, as well as suggested scripts for communicating with adolescent patients, at an appropriate level, about their treatment. The education offered is intended as a jumping-off point, a road map to "good enough" care for clinicians, patients, and their families, even in the absence of specialized treatments.
Author Biography
Lois W. Choi‐Kain, M.D., M.Ed., is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Gunderson Personality Disorders Institute, McLean Hospital.
Carla Sharp, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology at the University of Houston.
