Good Psychiatric Management and Dialectical Behavior Therapy

The impetus for writing Good Psychiatric Management and
Dialectical Behavior Therapy: A Clinician's Guide to Integration and
Stepped Care was the realization that the availability of
specialized care for borderline personality disorder (BPD) is far
outstripped by the number of patients who need treatment. This manual,
edited by experts on BPD, provides a framework for implementing a stepped
care model in settings where access to specialized treatments is limited.
The authors contend that the principles of good psychiatric management (GPM)
represent a basic foundation that all clinicians can learn and that combined
with dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), one of the most effective newer
treatment modalities, progress can indeed be realized. The book prioritizes
pragmatism by suggesting what works in terms of reasonable evidence,
practical allocation of public health resources, and real-world clinical
experience implementing evidence-based treatments for BPD.

The book is
structured to enhance understanding and the acquisition of basic skills:


* An introductory chapter delivers a brief overview of both GPM and
DBT, explaining in broad strokes how BPD is conceptualized in each model.
Later chapters address the common principles found in both GPM and
DBT-principles that any generalist clinician can incorporate into their
practice, including clinician stance, treatment organization, and a strategy
for managing crises.
* The stepped care model for BPD, is introduced and
explored, with emphasis on clinical stage and available resources. In
addition, the book presents a menu of possible ways clinicians and programs
can use GPM, DBT, and other specialist psychotherapy for BPD.
* Two tool
kits are supplied, one each for GPM and DBT. These tool kits summarize the
top skills and techniques in both treatment modalities for clinicians who
are interested in using them in their practices.
* A full set of case
illustrations is included, each depicting the application of DBT and GPM in
common clinical scenarios. These vignettes demonstrate how DBT and GPM can
be integrated into primary care settings, emergency rooms, and general
mental health settings where specialized psychotherapies for BPD are either
not available or not well suited.

Aimed at general psychiatrists,
therapists, social workers, mental health nurses, psychiatry residents,
family physicians, psychologists, and other mental health clinicians who
practice in communities where evidence-based treatments for BPD are
difficult to access, Good Psychiatric Management and Dialectical Behavior
Therapy enhances the clinician's ability to provide not only treatment but
also hope.