Surviving a Borderline Parent

Surviving a Borderline Parent

The book Surviving a Borderline Parent by Kimberlee Roth and Freda Friedman gives me a better understanding of borderline personality disorder. I have met individuals in the past who I assumed were difficult. Now I feel they could have been suffering with borderline personality disorder (BPD). This book offers me a huge insight into another world. I learned what this disorder is and how children whose parents have been diagnosed with or just show symptoms of BPD, cope with life as an adult. This book offers insight on how the child, all grown up, learns to live a normal life.
The book shows borderline personality disorder through the eyes of many adults who share stories about their childhood experiences and how life is altered as an adult. As a result it shows how these adults try to regain their life and live a healthy future. The following provides a background on the major parts of the book and shares my thoughts and experiences on the subject.
Section one of this book discusses what BPD is and some of the conditions children with a borderline parent live with. In addition it discusses common effects on the children and how they deal with the grief.
BPD, the “inability to regulate, or manage emotions and a deep seated fear of abandonment,” is very difficult to diagnose. One reason is that symptoms are played out in numerous ways. This disorder is among the least researched and understood.   The disease occurs more often in women and often affects individuals who have been sexually abused. Doctors and therapists alike have found it to be difficult to cure, but not impossible. The most common treatment methods include medication, such as anti-anxiety and anti-depressants, and therapy.   According to the authors, nine criteria are used in diagnosing borderline personality disorder. If a person has five or more consistent traits he or she is said to be suffering from this disorder. The nine criteria are as follows:
1. Frantic attempts to prevent feelings of...