Fatal Flaws Navigating Destructive Relationships With People With Disorders of Personality and Character

Encompassing case vignettes based on composites of numerous patients from Dr. Yudofsky's 30 years of clinical practice and his collaborations with gifted clinicians, educators, and research scientists, Fatal Flaws: Navigating Destructive Relationships With People With Disorders of Personality and Character uniquely and vividly captures essential clinical and research information that brings to life the psychopathologies of people with the "fatal flaws" of personality and character. Part psychiatric textbook and part self-help manual for patients and clients, Fatal Flaws reviews comprehensively the course, treatment, genetics, biology, psychology, and destructive consequences of hysterical (histrionic), narcissistic, antisocial, paranoid, obsessive-compulsive, addictive, borderline, and schizotypal personality disorders. This book is written in the first person; the author communicates directly with a patient who either has a personality or character disorder or is in an important relationship with a person with this condition. With meticulously protected confidentiality, Fatal Flaws offers a true sense of the clinical experience by informing, orienting, and supporting both novice and seasoned mental health professionals as they face the ongoing challenges of treating patients with personality or character disorders. It is also particularly valuable for patients in psychotherapeutic treatment who are in destructive relationships with people with untreated personality disorders.

Featuring case vignettes from nearly 30 years of Dr. Yudofsky's clinical practice and incorporating the knowledge of gifted clinicians, educators, and research scientists with whom he has collaborated throughout that time, Fatal Flaws: Navigating Destructive Relationships With People With Disorders of Personality and Character uniquely captures the increasing body of clinical and research information about people with severe and persistent personality and character disorders. Covering the clinical course, treatment, genetics, biology, psychology, and destructive consequences of hysterical (histrionic), narcissistic, antisocial, paranoid, obsessive-compulsive, addictive, borderline, and schizotypal personality disorders, Fatal Flaws stands out in the literature for these powerful reasons: It is written for an unusually broad audience, from mental health students and trainees of all disciplines, to highly experienced clinicians, to patients who suffer from or are in destructive relationships with people with personality disorders. It is a hybrid-part psychiatric textbook for clinicians and part self-help manual for patients and clients with personality and character disorders. It is designed to supplement treatment by providing patients with practical, evidence-based information about personality disorders and character flaws. It is particularly valuable to patients who are in psychotherapy, in part, because they are entangled in destructive relationships with people with disorders of personality and/or character. It is written in the first person, with the author directly communicating with a patient who either has a personality or character disorder or is in an important relationship with a person who has such a disorder. It is useful for people who are uncertain whether they or their loved ones have personality or character disorders, and who want to know more about these conditions and their treatments before making a decision about securing the help of a mental health professional. Fatal Flaws: Navigating Destructive Relationships With People With Disorders of Personality and Character is a compelling volume that provides the essential information and a realistic sense of the clinical experience required to inform, orient, and support novice mental health professionals and seasoned practitioners alike as they face the ongoing challenges of treating patients or clients with personality or character disorders. An invaluable resource for those who wish practical and effective help in understanding and changing their destructive relationships with people who have severe and persistent disorders of personality and/or character.