Book Description

Examine personality psychopathology from diverse perspectives and explore multiple research and treatment approaches with The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Personality Disorders. Capture the multifaceted range of nonpathological human behavior and develop a judicious understanding of the extremes of behavior that are called personality disorders. No other textbook today matches the clinically useful scope and relevance of Textbook of Personality Disorders. Its comprehensive coverage of theory, research, and treatment of personality disorders, incorporating illustrative case examples to enhance understanding, reflects the work of more than 70 expert contributors who review the latest theories, research findings, and clinical expertise in the increasingly complex field of personality disorders. The deeply informative Textbook of Personality Disorders is organized into six main sections: Basic concepts -- Summarizes definitions and classifications of personality disorders, building on broader international concepts and theories of psychopathology and including categorical and dimensional models of personality disorders Clinical evaluation -- Discusses manifestations, problems in differential diagnosis, and patterns of comorbidity; the most widely used interviews and self-administered questionnaires; and the course and outcome of personality disorders. Etiology -- Includes an integrative perspective (personality disorders, personality traits, and temperament); epidemiology (one in ten people has a personality disorder) and genetics; neurobiology; antecedents of personality disorders in children and adolescents; attachment theory and mentalization therapy in borderline personality disorder; and the complex and variable interface between personality disorders and sociocultural factors Treatment -- Covers levels of care and the full range of therapies, from psychoanalysis to pharmacotherapy; includes detailed information on schema therapy, dialectical behavior therapy (specifically developed for self-injuring/suicidal patients with borderline personality disorder), interpersonal therapy, dynamically-informed supportive psychotherapy, group treatment, family therapy, psychoeducation, the therapeutic alliance, boundary issues, and collaborative treatment Special problems and populations -- Addresses suicide, substance abuse, violence, dissociative states, defensive functioning, gender and cross-cultural issues, and patients in correctional and medical settings New developments and future directions -- Offers perspectives on brain imaging and translational research and asserts that the closer working relationship between clinical psychiatrists and behavioral neuroscientists -- with neuroimaging techniques as the common ground -- will result in more promising models to enhance our understanding of the neuroscience and molecular biology of personality disorders Offering both a wealth of practical information that clinicians can use right away in their daily practice and an up-to-date review of empirical research, The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Personality Disorders is the definitive reference and clinical guide not only for seasoned clinicians but also for psychiatry residents, psychology interns and graduate students, and social work, medical, and nursing students.