The interpersonal dimensions of each DSM-IV personality disorder are discussed in depth and and innovative procedures for assessment and diagnosis described.

"Bringing intellectual rigor and discipline to the art of psychotherapy, Lorna Smith Benjamin has developed a unifying theory of personality disorders that has unprecedented clinical relevance. This groundbreaking volume presents an interpersonal approach that will enable therapists of all theoretical orientations to increase their effectiveness and reduce their frustration in working with this very difficult population." "The book opens with an introduction to the interpersonal approach and to the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) developed by Dr. Benjamin. This dimensional model of interpersonal and intrapsychic interactions can be used to assess patients, their families, and their therapists to determine the specific ways in which they interact with and influence one another. In the sections that follow, each of the DSM personality disorders is sharply delineated in a finely tuned description that is greatly enhanced by Dr. Benjamin's interpersonal approach and clinical insights. Adding an extensive and clinically useful list of descriptive amendments to the DSM criteria, she provides a sophisticated differential diagnosis that greatly reduces the problem of overlap in symptoms that frequently occurs when using the DSM rules alone. Expected transference reactions, developmental histories, and probable underlying motivations are also explored in detail." "Throughout, the volume is rich with clinical material that specifically illustrates the interviewing method, the diagnostic process, and treatment interventions. Dr. Benjamin also presents hypotheses concerning the development of crucial interpersonal relationships which may explain the patient's current behavior. Such understanding provides perhaps the most valuable clues on how best to interact with and treat these patients." "A major breakthrough in the treatment of personality disorders, this important work will be an invaluable resource for all clinicians - behavioral, psychodynamic, and eclectic - working with this challenging population. It also offers researchers a method to dissect and study more objectively vitally important problems in psychosocial diagnosis and treatment. This volume will serve as an excellent text for psychiatric residencies and graduate courses in psychopathology, personality and personality disorders, psychotherapy, and assessment and diagnosis."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The interpersonal dimensions of each DSM-IV personality disorder are discussed in depth and and innovative procedures for assessment and diagnosis described.

In the decade before he became the highly controversial director of psychedelic drug research at Harvard, Timothy Leary was one of the leading clinical psychologists practicing in the U.S., heading the prestigious Kaiser Foundation Psychological Research Center in Oakland. INTERPERSONAL DIAGNOSIS OF PERSONALITY (1957), his first full-length book, summarizes the innovative experimental studies in interpersonal behavior performed by the author and his associates at the Kaiser Foundation and in private practice between 1950 and 1957.

Geared to the needs of mental health practitioners unfamiliar with dissociative disorders, this volume presents a comprehensive and integrated approach to diagnosis and treatment. Each step--from first interview to final post-integrative treatment--is systematically reviewed, with detailed instructions on specific diagnostic and therapeutic techniques and examples of their clinical applications. Concise yet thorough, the volume offers expert advice on such topics as how to foster a strong therapeutic alliance, how to manage crises, and what basic errors to avoid.

This book proposes an integrated model of treatment for Personality Disorders (PDs) that goes beyond outdated categorical diagnoses, aiming to treat the general factors underlying the pathology of personality. The authors emphasize the development of metacognitive functions and the integration of procedures and techniques of different psychotherapies. The book addresses the treatment of complex cases that present with multiform psychopathological features, outlining clinical interventions that focus on structures of personal meaning, metacognition and interpersonal processes. In addition, this book: Provides an overview of pre-treatment phase procedures such as assessment interviews Explains the Metacognitive Interpersonal Therapy (MIT) approach and summarizes MIT clinical guidelines Outlines pharmacological treatment for patients with PDs Includes checklists and other useful resources for therapists evaluating their adherence to the treatment method Complex Cases of Personality Disorders: Metacognitive and Interpersonal Therapy is both an insightful reexamining of the theoretical underpinnings of personality disorder treatment and a practical resource for clinicians.

For the average clinician, individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) often represent the most challenging, seemingly insoluble cases. This volume is the authoritative presentation of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), Marsha M. Linehan's comprehensive, integrated approach to treating individuals with BPD. DBT was the first psychotherapy shown in controlled trials to be effective with BPD. It has since been adapted and tested for a wide range of other difficult-to-treat disorders involving emotion dysregulation. While focusing on BPD, this book is essential reading for clinicians delivering DBT to any clients with complex, multiple problems. Companion volumes: The latest developments in DBT skills training, together with essential materials for teaching the full range of mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance skills, are presented in Linehan's DBT Skills Training Manual, Second Edition, and DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets, Second Edition. Also available: Linehan's instructive skills training videos for clients--Crisis Survival Skills: Part One, Crisis Survival Skills: Part Two, From Suffering to Freedom, This One Moment, and Opposite Action.