New: Recovery from BPD: A Personal Story
FBPDA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed in 2007 that is dedicated to educating all Floridians about this severe—yet highly treatable—mental illness.
June 29 Conference Call
with Kim Gratz, PhD
Florida Borderline Personality Disorder Association is pleased to announce our first conference call with Kim Gratz, PhD be held on Monday, June 29 at 6:30 pm EST.
Dr. Gratz is the co-author of the new book, Freedom from Self-Harm: Overcoming Self-Injury with Skills from DBT and Other Treatments by New Harbinger Publications. This call will help to answer your questions about self-injury as well as dispel some of the many myths surrounding the motives and purpose of self-harm.
This call is intended for everyone so persons who engage in self-injury, students, parents, educators, mental health professionals, and anyone else who is interested in learning more is encouraged to participate in this hour-long conversation with a compassionate and noted researcher in this field.
If you would like to join us for this free call, please RSVP by sending an e-mail to amanda.smith@fbpda.org by June 21, 2009. We look forward to hearing from you!
Suicide Risk Assessment:
Medical/Legal Aspects of a Psychiatric Problem
FBPDA is pleased to announce that Emily Lazarou, MD will present on the topic of Suicide Risk Assessment: Medical/Legal Aspects of a Psychiatric Problem on Thursday, July 9.
Many providers deal with issues of suicide as a part of the initial assessment. With those patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder—it is frequently a chronic issue. Though, it's a symptom of the disorder, it still needs to be addressed on an ongoing basis as we do with other symptoms. This is not necessary for proper treatment, but when a patient commits suicide—it's the leading cause of litigation against providers. Doing a proper suicide risk assessment and follow through will not only provide you prognostic indicators, but will also help guide the treatment and assess actual risk to the patient. Proper treatment of this symptom will not only help the provider, but will also help the patient remain mindful of the problem and work toward resolution.
This event will be held at our office located at 233 3rd St. North in St. Petersburg from 7:00 until 8:30 pm. There is a $10 fee per person (or $15 per couple) for this event.
Please RSVP by e-mailing us at amanda.smith@fbpda.org.
Back from the Edge—Gainesville
FBPDA will be showing the documentary Back from the Edge on Thursday, July 23 at the Alachua County Library—401 East University Avenue in Gainesville, FL starting at 6:30 pm. Back from the Edge was produced by the BPD Resource Center and features such experts as John Gunderson, Marsha Linehan, Otto Kernberg, Perry Hoffman, and the late Wayne Fenton.
The documentary is 45 minutes and is suitable for anyone interested in learning more about borderline personality disorder. A brief discussion will be led by Catherine A. Marcinkiewcz, MS—a PhD-candidate in the Interdisciplinary Program in Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Department at the University of Florida.
While this event is open to the public and there is no cost to attend, you must RSVP by sending an e-mail to amanda.smith@fbpda.org.
Like many people with BPD, I am excruciatingly sensitive to other people's perceptions of me. At times, a negative word or look can drastically redefine how I feel about myself. It even has a physical effect, like being hit with a soccer ball in the solar plexus. With this kind of vulnerability, it seems almost masochistic to publicly identify oneself with a disorder that has such negative associations. But here's the catch: enduring human connection and mastery comes only after facing oneself and sharing that self with others.
—Kiera Van Gelder
Listen to an interview with FBPDA founder—Amanda Smith here.
