Borderline Personality Disorder:
A Case Study of the Movie FATAL ATTRACTION,
Second Edition
by
Francine R Goldberg
Copyright 2011 Francine R Goldberg,
All rights reserved.
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
Published by:
Beneficial Film Guides
1933 Hwy 35, # 105-130
Wall, New Jersey 07719-3502
phone and fax: 1-888-858-3959
e-mail: [email protected]
| All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transcribed, in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise – without the prior written permission of Francine R. Goldberg, Ph.D., 1933 Hwy 35, # 105-130, Wall, N.J. 07719-3502. www.BeneficialFilmGuides.com |
ISBN-13: 978-1-9341-0718-8
Continuing Education
For information about continuing education credit for watching the movie FATAL ATTRACTION and using this e-book as your guide go to:
Learning Objectives
This guide is designed to be used as a companion to the Paramount Pictures movie, Fatal Attraction. It presents a unique and entertaining learning opportunity for both mental health professionals and those who are not trained in mental health. It brings the diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) to life with its scene-by-scene information about the movie. For mental health professionals it serves as an entertaining up-to-date refresher course with a chance to earn continuing education credits. For non-mental health professionals it allows the movie to be an entertaining vehicle that educates readers to recognize and understand BPD; to know the potential risks to individuals, their families, friends, co-workers and fellow students if the illness is untreated; and to know about options for a safe and productive life for individuals with the illness. This e-book discusses diagnostic symptoms; various forms of treatment that have proven to produce successful outcomes; and disability management for the social, vocational and educational impairments that result from the illness. The movie portrays a textbook example of the illness and is valuable for learning. It should be emphasized that the “Hollywood effect” may tend to over/under exaggerate the symptoms and behaviors experienced by many individuals with this disorder.
The e-book will explain:
•Symptoms and emotional, cognitive and behavioral instability
•Suicidality associated with BPD
•DSM-IV multiaxial diagnosis and diagnostic criteria for BPD
•Medications prescribed for symptom / crisis management to people with BPD
•The functional impact of BPD
•Disability management
•Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT) as a treatment for BPD
•Research involving Mentalization-Baseed Treatment (MBT), Schema-Focused Treatment (SFT), Transference-Focused Treatment (TFT), Supportive Treatment (ST), and Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving (STEPPS)
Outline of Scenes
Introduction
Scene 2: Family Affair
•Introduction of key characters
•Deceptive appearance of people with BPD
•Behaviors to watch
•DSM-IV-TR multiaxial diagnosis
•Vocational impact of BPD
Scene 3: Are You Discreet ?
•Undermining of self
•Impulsive behavior
•Intolerance of being alone
Scene 4: One Night Stand
•Impulsive behavior
•Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment
Scene 5: The Morning After
•Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment
Scene 6: A Walk In The Park
•Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment
•Unstable and intense interpersonal relationships
•Recurrent self-injury
•Affective instability
•Inappropriate intense anger
•Vocational impact of BPD
•Introduction to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
•Other emerging therapies
•Transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP)
• Schema-focused therapy (SFT)
•Mentalization-based treatment (MBT)
•Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving (STEPPS)
•Psychotropic medication and BPD
Scene 7: Welcome Home
•Constant state of crisis
•DBT and the crisis of the moment
•Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment / interpersonal dysregulation
•Narcissistic and self-centered tendencies
•Guilt and remorse
•Chronic feelings of emptiness / dysregulation of self
•Emotion dysregulation – primary “problem” in BPD
Scene 8: You Play Fair, I’ll Play Fair
•Projective tests and BPD
•Lack of empathy and responsibility among those with BPD
•Some DBT strategies
•Relating to people with BPD
•Impulsive behavior / behavior dysregulation
•Extreme idealization and devaluation / interpersonal dysregulation
Scene 9: Breaking and Entering
•Confirmation of earlier interpersonal dysregulation
•Therapeutic relationships and BPD
•DBT and therapist support
•Confusion, isolation, inadequacy and shame
•Perpetual crisis and BPD
Scene 10: Car Trouble
•Mood related symptoms / emotional dysregulation
Scene 11: Play Me
•Idealization and devaluation / interpersonal dysregulation
•BPD and overwhelming affect
Scene 12: The Rabbit
•Transient,