Practitioners encounter patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) with surprising frequency; indeed, 1 in 10 emergency room visits and 1 in 20 primary care appointments are estimated to involve people with BPD. Applications of Good Psychiatric Management for Borderline Personality Disorder: A Practical Guide was written not for the psychiatrist engaged in lengthy and complex psychotherapy with these patients but for the generalist who needs the basic skills to deliver good care to this sizeable patient population in need of help. This guide condenses the vast expanse of the latest scientific research and describes the use of good psychiatric management (GPM) with different patient populations, in conjunction with different modalities, for different professions, and in different treatment settings. Constructed carefully by two leading psychiatrists in the field of BPD, the book is designed for maximum utility with stand-alone chapters offering clear guidelines for managing BPD. Topics and features include the following: Case vignettes, which are designed to make the book practical and eminently useful, provide “decision points” where alternative interventions are proposed and discussed, demonstrating how to apply the concepts outlined in the chapter. Although the authors review the relative merits of these interventions, the presentation promotes active learning and the ability to adapt to unpredictable clinical realities. Challenges to implementing GPM that are specific to a particular treatment setting — consultations, inpatient and outpatient settings, emergency departments, and colleges — are directly addressed so the guidelines are immediately relevant to the target audience of each chapter. Clinicians from a variety of fields, including social workers, primary care providers, psychopharmacologists, and training supervisors, care for patients with BPD, and the book makes concrete suggestions about how to apply GPM in a range of practice types. Implementation of GPM in a brief format and how it can be applied to other personality disorders is also addressed. It explains how GPM can be integrated with other evidence-based treatments for BPD, such as dialectical behavior therapy, mentalization-based treatment, and transference-focused psychotherapy.

Written in a down-to-earth style, this case management text will appeal to the resident on call, the specialist, and the generalist. Above all, Applications of Good Psychiatric Management for Borderline Personality Disorder: A Practical Guide addresses the challenges specific to different treatment contexts to help busy clinicians provide informed, effective care for their patients with BPD.