BPD, DBT, and Self-Harm Blog

30 Days of Mentalizing

Hope for BPD — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:39:03 +0000

Image by striaticI'm proud to announce a pilot program I'm calling 30 Days of Mentalizing, which will begin on June 1.

This peer-led psychoeducation opportunity will allow participants to learn about Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT)—an evidenced-based therapy. Through a daily e-mail, subscribers will encouraged to engage in a variety of activities that help promote mentalizing—the ability to better understand our own thoughts and emotions and those of others.

MBT was originally created to treat borderline personality disorder but has now been adapted to help family members of those diagnosed with BPD. Valerie Porr—author of Overcoming Borderline Personality Disorder: A Family Guide to Healing and Change—has even called MBT the "missing piece" of dialectical behavior therapy.

Increasing our capacity to mentalize may help us to:

• develop our social cognition skills
• begin to eliminate misunderstandings with those we care about
• be more aware of how our behaviors can affect others
• connect in more meaningful ways
• better understand our world

Please note that 30 Days of Mentalizing is not a therapy program nor is it intended to be a substitute for treatment, care or consultation with a licensed healthcare professional. If you are wondering if this psychoeducation program may be appropriate for you, please ask your healthcare provider.

The pilot is limited to 30 participants and will be just $15. To subscribe, click here and sign up by May 30, 2013. Subscribers will be asked to fill out an optional and anonymous survey at the end of pilot.

Please e-mail me at amanda@hopeforbpd.com if you'd like additional information.

Update: Registration is closed for 30 Days of Mentalizing. Please e-mail me to be placed on the waiting list for the next opportunity to participate in this program.

Sharing Success and Hope for Emotion Regulation Disorder

Hope for BPD — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 19:11:20 +0000

Image by Pink Sherbet Photography

Sometimes it's easy to get stuck thinking about all the things that are wrong but success usually isn't hard to find. On March 26, 2013, we'll kick off spring with stories of postive changes in your life.

If you are a family member or a friend, did you do any of the following this past year?

• took a psychoeducation class
• read or heard something that made a difference in your life
• validated someone you love
• practiced self-compassion
• put your oxygen mask on first during a crisis
• learned DBT
• found new ways to communicate
• didn't give up

If you are someone who's been diagnosed with emotion regulation disorder, did you do any of the following this past year?

• started or graduated from treatment
• stayed sober or out of the hospital
• repaired old relationships or started healthy new ones
• got a new job or a better one
• earned an A this past semester
• asked for help and got it
• kept yourself safe
• didn't give up

This is your opportunity to share how you are creating a life worth living. Everyone will have five minutes to share their victories.

The cost to participate is $25 per person but you can register through March 16th for just $15. This call will be recorded for future listening.

Please contact Amanda Smith at (941) 704-4328 if you have any questions about this important event. This call is designed for family members, friends, individuals diagnosed with BPD, and mental health professionals.

Borderline Personality Disorder and Addictions

Hope for BPD — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 22:28:16 +0000

Image by Taylor McBridePlease join us on Tuesday, December 4th at 7:00 pm CDT (8:00 pm EDT/5:00 pm PDT) when we speak with Bari Platter, RN, MS about addiction treatment and harm reduction for BPD. Bari is the author of a new curriculum about integrating 12 Step Programs and Dialectical Behavior Therapy and she's a clinical specialist at the University of Colorado Hospital, Center for Dependency, Addiction and Rehabilitation in Denver.

Self-medicating behaviors and substance use are extraordinarily common in borderline personality disorder. Sometimes it's just a one more problem to pay attention to during treatment and other times it can be potentially life-destroying.

All registered attendees to this one-hour teleconference will have an opportunity to speak with Ms. Platter and ask any questions. This call will be also be recorded for future listening.

The cost to participate is $25 per person but you can register through November 29th for just $15.

Please contact Amanda Smith at (941) 704-4328 if you have any questions about this important event. This call is designed for family members, friends, and individuals diagnosed with BPD.

Click here to register today.

Talking about Self-Injury with David Fitzpatrick

Hope for BPD — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 15:41:29 +0000

Image by whatmegsaidPlease join us on Thursday, November 15th at 7:00 pm CDT (8:00 pm EDT/5:00 pm PDT) when we speak with David Fitzpatrick. David is the author of Sharp: A Memoir.

There are many misconceptions about why people with emotion regulation disorders engage in self-harming behaviors and David will not only speak about his experience with self-injury but will also help us to dispel some of myths surrounding the behaviors.

All registered attendees to this one-hour teleconference will have an opportunity to speak with Mr. Fitzpatrick. This call will be also be recorded for future listening.

The cost to participate is $25 per person but you can register through November 8th for just $15.

You won't want to miss this inspirational story of hope and recovery.

Please contact Amanda Smith at (941) 704-4328 if you have any questions about this important event. This call is designed for family members, friends, and individuals diagnosed with BPD.

Click here to register today.

Evidence-Based Practice: STEPPS

Hope for BPD — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:59:30 +0000

Image by Pink Sherbet PhotographyPlease join us on Wednesday, November 7th at 7:00 pm CDT (8:00 pm EDT/5:00 pm PDT) when we speak with Nancee Blum MSW. Nancee is the creator of an evidence-based treatment for borderline personality disorder called STEPPS.

Nancee writes—

In this cognitive-behavioral, skills training approach, borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized as a disorder of emotion and behavior regulation. The goal is to provide the person with BPD, professionals treating them, and closely allied friends and family members with a common language to communicate clearly about the disorder and the skills used to manage it STEPPS participants learn specific emotion and behavior management skills and also identify key professionals, friends, and family members as part of their "reinforcement team;" these individuals learn to reinforce and support the newly learned skills. This helps avoid the phenomenon of "splitting," a process in which the person with BPD may externalize their internal conflict by appearing to draw others around them into taking sides against each other and arguing about the merits of differing perspectives and behaviors. Splitting, like other behaviors common in BPD, is not viewed as an intentional act of aggression, but as an automatic response to the emotional intensity and dysregulation the group member can learn to anticipate and replace with more effective responses.

All registered attendees to this one-hour teleconference will receive additional information about STEPPS and will have an opportunity to ask Nancee questions about BPD and evidence-based treatment for the disorder. This call will be also be recorded for future listening.

The cost to participate is $25 per person but you can register through October 31st for just $15.

Please contact Amanda Smith at (941) 704-4328 if you have any questions about this important event. This call is designed for family members, friends, and individuals diagnosed with BPD.

Click here to register today.

DBT: Calming the Emotional Storm

Hope for BPD — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 00:40:47 +0000

Image by CamdiluvPlease join us on Wednesday, October 10th at 7:00 pm CDT (8:00 pm EDT/5:00 pm PDT) when we speak with author Sheri Van Dijk MSW. Sheri is the author of Calming the Emotional Storm: Using Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills to Manage Your Emotions and Balance Your Life, Don't Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens: Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills for Helping You Manage Mood Swings, Control Angry Outbursts, and Get Along with Others, The Bipolar Workbook for Teens, and The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Bipolar Disorder: Using DBT to Regain Control of Your Emotions and Your Life.

Sheri works at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ontario, and has a part-time private practice. She has had extensive training in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive-behavior therapy, and mindfulness practice.

This one-hour teleconference will include information about the distress tolerance and mindfulness skills in DBT and you'll have an opportunity to ask questions about anything related to emotion regulation disorders.

You won't want to miss this special opportunity to connect with a DBT expert.

The cost to participate is $25 per person but you can register through September 30th for just $15.

Please contact Amanda Smith at (941) 704-4328 if you have any questions about this important event. This call is designed for family members, friends, and individuals diagnosed with BPD.

Click here to register today.

Support and Encouragement for Moms

Hope for BPD — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 20:35:10 +0000

Image by footloosietyIf you are a mother of someone who's been diagnosed with BPD or emotion regulation disorder, you know that it can be devastating to watch someone you love suffer from intense emotions, impulsive, and often self-destructive behaviors.

Even the most resourceful and positive moms can be left feeling over-whelmed and discouraged during the long road to recovery.

On Tuesday, September 4th at 8:00 pm EDT (5:00 pm PDT), we'll talk about different ways that you can get the help you need to take care of yourselves and those you love. You'll also have an opportunity to share a little bit of what has helped you so that you can support women in similar situations.

Please note that this conference call is only open to mothers of individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder or traits of BPD. Out of respect for the privacy of our participants and their families, this call will not be recorded.

The cost to participate is $25 but you can register between now and September 1, 2012 for just $15. Please click here to register today or e-mail Amanda for more information.

Repairing and Creating Healthy Relationships with BPD Expert Valerie Porr

Hope for BPD — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 21:44:11 +0000

Image by samboPlease join Hope for BPD on Tuesday, August 14th 2012 at 8:00 pm EDT (-5 GMT) when we present a conference call with author and educator Valerie Porr.

Valerie is the author of Overcoming Borderline Personality Disorder: A Family Guide to Healing and Change (OUP 2010) and has worked with families for the past ten years. She's also the founder of TARA National Association for Personality Disorder Treatment and Research Advancements—a nonprofit organization based in New York City.

This 90-minute teleconference will cover issues surrounding relationship repair as well as barriers to effective communication. The event is appropriate for both family members and individuals diagnosed with BPD.

The cost for this event is $25 but you can register by clicking here until August 3 for $15.

Contact Amanda at amanda@hopeforbpd.com or call (941) 704-4328 for additional information.

10% of US Women Have BPD (or The Power of Misinformation)

Hope for BPD — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 15:35:30 +0000

Image by Aussiegall

All ex-wives have borderline personality disorder. —Peter Jennings

People hire me for my expertise and that comes with a great responsibility that I take very seriously.

That means that every single day I'm on PubMed.gov looking at the latest research about BPD, self-harming behaviors, other personality disorders, mindfulness, and effective treatment.

I also stay on top of things by setting up Google Alerts for any and all keywords related to BPD. I see things as they are posted on web sites, blogs, and media outlets around the world.

Earlier this week something popped up that I hoped would die quickly but it didn't. The author purports that 10% of US women have BPD and are abusive, angry, a segment of the population that is simply persona non grata, etc. Since then people have been forwarding me the original article or sending me to a web site where someone else is now reporting this to be a fact. Sadly, there's been a lot of confusion, concern, and despair over this one article.

As you can imagine, it's simply not true. The author tried to get the math right but fell short.

You can read the largest study (with a sample size of 34,653 men and women!) exploring the prevalence of BPD by clicking here. The researchers note that:

Prevalence of lifetime BPD was 5.9% (99% CI: 5.4-6.4). There were no differences in the rates of BPD among men (5.6%, 99% CI: 5.0-6.2) and women (6.2%, 99% CI: 5.6-6.9). BPD was more prevalent among Native American men, younger and separated/divorced/widowed adults, and those with lower incomes and education, and less prevalent among Hispanic men and women and Asian women.

A lifetime prevalence rate for women of 6.2% does not mean that 6.2% of the female population could be diagnosed with BPD today. It means that someone could have met DSM-IV criteria for the disorder earlier in life but through effective evidence-based treatment or simply the passage of time, the diagnosis no longer fits.

(Just like me.)

And if there's one bit of research that I'd like for people to disseminate again and again, it's the very good news that a 16-year study reveals that the remission of symptoms of BPD is not only possible but that it's probable. If you'd like a copy of this particular article, please e-mail.

Getting the facts about BPD isn't just important to me but it's important to you, too.

Borderline Personality Disorder and Grief, Loss, and Abandonment

Hope for BPD — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 15:16:07 +0000

Image by varen sureshPlease join Hope for BPD on Thursday, July 19th 2012 at 8:00 pm EDT (-5 GMT) when we host an hour-long discussion with author and speaker Merri Lisa Johnson, PhD about healthy ways to cope with grief and loss.

Dr. Johnson is the author of Girl in Need of a Tourniquet: Memoir of a Borderline Personality and is the Director for Women's and Gender Studies at University of South Carolina Upstate.

Lisa and Amanda will be talking about how people with BPD cope with feelings of grief, loss, and rejection. While a fear of abandonment is central to the experience of someone diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, the way we approach and resolve these emotions and experiences can make the difference between moving towards recovery and staying stuck.

This event is appropriate for individuals diagnosed with BPD, their families and friends, and mental health professionals and this call will be recorded for those who are not able to join us on Thursday evening.

The cost for this is $25 but you can register through July 16th for just $15 per person.

Please click here to register today or contact Amanda at amanda@hopeforbpd.com.