Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder with Jerold Kreisman MD

When the first edition of I Hate You--Don't Leave Me, the groundbreaking, bestselling book by today's special guest Jerold Kreisman, MD, was published in 1989, very little information on Borderline Personality Disroder was available to either professionals or the general public.

As BPD began to infiltrate the "American consciousness", a few articles vaguely outlining the disorder appeared in consumer magazines. Dr. Kreisman recognized the need for clear understanding and effective treatment of BPD, and wrote this book to provide desperately needed information to the general public, afflicted individuals, family and friends, and treating professionals.

Public awareness of Borderline Personality Disorder has grown significantly from what it was in 1989.  Specific therapies and drugs targeted at the disorder have since been developed. While the prognosis for patients was previously bleak two decades ago, it is now much more positive. Yet, despite these advancements, the stigma still runs rampant. The BPD illness continues to confuse the general public and terrify many professionals.

Dr. Kreisman has kindly agreed to be with us today to explain what Borderline Personality Disorder is and help us understand the behavior of those afflicted with it, in the hopes of helping to erase the stigma associated with it.

Jerold J. Kreisman, MD is a psychiatrist and leading expert on borderline personality disorder. He is coauthor of the best seller I Hate You, Don't Leave Me, which is considered a classic of both the popular and academic literature on BPD, and has been completely revised and updated in 2010. He is also author of Sometimes I Act Crazy, written to educate family and friends. Dr. Kreisman produces a blog for Psychology Today, lectures widely in the US and abroad, and is in private practice in St. Louis, MO.