Handbook of Borderline Personality Disorder in Children and Adolescents

“This book explores borderline personality disorder in children and adolescents, addressing assessment, etiology, developmental course, and treatment, while also incorporating DSM-5 criteria. … the book is easy to read, the numerous figures and tables help clarify the content, and clinical vignettes demonstrate the procedures. This excellent book explores theory, assessment, treatment, and developmental course of BPD, providing important insights into how it affects young people.” (Gary B. Kaniuk, Doody’s Book Reviews, March, 2016)

"This groundbreaking volume compiles the most comprehensive information on borderline personality disorder in childhood and adolescence. The topic has too long been seen as taboo, but now early-age detection, intervention, and prevention are taking center stage, all brilliantly served by these outstanding chapters from world-renowned experts. The breadth of knowledge provided makes it a necessary library addition for researchers, experienced and early-career practitioners, as well as the lay BPD community and those impacted by the disorder. "

Perry D. Hoffman, Ph.D.
President and co-founder
National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder

Diagnosing borderline personality disorder (BPD) in young people has long been a tough call for clinicians, either for fear of stigmatizing the child or confusing the normal mood shifts of adolescence with pathology. Now, a recent upsurge in relevant research into early-onset BPD is inspiring the field to move beyond this hesitance toward a developmentally nuanced understanding of the disorder.

The Handbook of Borderline Personality Disorder in Children and Adolescents reflects the broad scope and empirical strengths of current research as well as promising advances in treatment. This comprehensive resource is authored by veteran and emerging names across disciplines, including developmental psychopathology, clinical psychology, child psychiatry, genetics, and neuroscience in order to organize the field for an integrative future. Leading-edge topics range from the role of parenting in the development of BPD to trait-based versus symptom-based assessment approaches, from the life-course trajectory of BPD to the impact of the DSM-5 on diagnosis. And of particular interest are the data on youth modifications of widely used adult interventions, with session excerpts.

Key areas featured in the Handbook:

• The history of research on BPD in childhood and adolescence.
• Conceptualization and assessment issues.
• Etiology and core components of BPD.
• Developmental course and psychosocial correlates.
Empirically supported treatment methods. 
• Implications for future research, assessment, and intervention.

The Handbook of Borderline Personality Disorder in Children and Adolescents is a breakthrough reference for researchers and clinicians ­in a wide range of disciplines, including child and school psychology and psychiatry, social work, psychotherapy and counseling, nursing management and research, and personality and social psychology.

Carla Sharp received her Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) in 2000 and is currently an Associate Professor at University of Houston where she directs the Developmental Psychopathology Lab. She is also Research Director for the Adolescent Treatment Program of the Menninger Clinic and holds an adjunct position in the Psychiatry Department of Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Sharp’s main research focus is on social cognition as it relates to disorders of interpersonal relatedness in children and adolescents, with a special interest in Borderline Personality Disorder. She has published widely on this topic in such journals as Science, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Journal of Personality Disorders. She has published two books and more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and chapters. Dr. Sharp is on the Editorial Board of several journals, including Journal of Personality Disorders. She is a recipient of a NARSAD Young Investigator Award and a Research and Scholarship Excellence Award from the University of Houston. Her research has been funded by the NIMH and the Child and Family Program of the Menninger Clinic.

Jennifer L. Tackett received her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 2006 and holds faculty appointments at the Universities of Houston and Toronto. She is an active researcher in the areas of child personality, personality disorder and externalizing psychopathology. Dr. Tackett served as a developmental consultant to the Personality and Personality Disorders Work Group for DSM-5. She has over 60 publications, co-edited Personality and Psychopathology (The Guilford Press, 2006) and received early career awards from the Society for Research in Psychopathology, the Society for Personality Assessment and the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation. Dr. Tackett has extensive editorial experience and currently serves as the Associate Editor at Assessment, Journal of Research in Personality, Journal of Personality Disorders and Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment.