7 Personality Disorders Books That Experts Rely On to Navigate Complex Challenges

Recommended by Bill Eddy, Randi Kreger, and Susan Stiffelman, these Personality Disorders books offer trusted guidance and proven strategies.

Updated on June 26, 2025
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What if I told you that managing relationships with individuals who have personality disorders could become more navigable with the right knowledge? Personality disorders, especially borderline and narcissistic types, often disrupt families, friendships, and legal proceedings, leaving loved ones and professionals alike searching for guidance. Understanding these complex conditions is more urgent than ever as awareness grows but misconceptions persist.

Leading voices like Bill Eddy, a lawyer and therapist who founded the High Conflict Institute, have illuminated how legal and emotional challenges intertwine in high-conflict personality disorder cases. Randi Kreger, an acclaimed author and advocate, combines lived experience with clinical insight to help families set boundaries and foster healthier relationships. Meanwhile, Susan Stiffelman, author and parenting expert, recognizes the unique struggles parents face and highlights practical strategies for support and self-care.

While these expert-curated books provide proven frameworks to understand and manage personality disorders, you might find even greater value in creating a personalized Personality Disorders book tailored to your background, goals, and specific challenges. This approach builds on expert knowledge while addressing your unique situation with targeted advice and strategies.

Best for managing borderline relationships
Bill Eddy, best-selling author specializing in personality disorders, emphasizes the enduring value of this book through its third edition. His extensive experience with high-conflict individuals reveals the frequent overlap of borderline and narcissistic personality disorders, which the authors thoughtfully address in this update. "This third edition is filled with the wisdom and tips that come from the authors’ continuing work with people with BPD and their loved ones," he notes, highlighting how the book equips family members and professionals to manage volatile relationships more effectively.

Recommended by Bill Eddy

Best-selling author on personality disorders

This third edition is filled with the wisdom and tips that come from the authors’ continuing work with people with BPD and their loved ones. I’m so glad they have added narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) in this edition, because the overlap of NPD and BPD is present in so many of the high-conflict individuals I see in relationships and conflicts that end up in court today. Family members, friends, professionals, and (frankly) everyone needs to read this book to understand and deal with much of the surprising and outrageous behavior we see in close relationships all around us now.

Paul T. T. Mason, a healthcare executive with published research on borderline personality disorder, teams up with Randi Kreger, an established author and advocate familiar with families affected by BPD, to tackle the complex dynamics of relationships strained by this condition. You’ll learn to recognize manipulative and volatile behaviors, set firm boundaries, and employ communication techniques designed to stabilize interactions. The book delves into recent research on comorbidity, including narcissistic personality disorder, offering insights into overlapping symptoms and coping strategies. If you’re closely involved with someone exhibiting intense emotional instability, this book guides you through protecting your well-being without alienating your loved one.

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Best for navigating narcissistic behaviors
Susan Stiffelman, author of Parenting Without Power Struggles, brings a wealth of expertise in family dynamics to her recommendation of this book. After encountering many families struggling with narcissistic relationships, she found "Disarming the Narcissist by Wendy Behary delivers clear and thoughtful navigational tools for dealing with a narcissistic person based on her years of working with individuals with this challenging personality disorder." The way Behary addresses co-parenting conflicts helped Stiffelman better support parents caught in difficult power struggles. Similarly, Keith Campbell, professor at the University of Georgia, praises the book for distilling complex clinical insights into an accessible guide that deepens understanding of narcissism, making it a valuable resource for both professionals and those personally affected.

Recommended by Susan Stiffelman

Author of Parenting Without Power Struggles

Disarming the Narcissist by Wendy Behary delivers clear and thoughtful navigational tools for dealing with a narcissistic person based on her years of working with individuals with this challenging personality disorder. In this third edition, Wendy also addresses the challenges of co-parenting with a narcissist. She beautifully illustrates the power of empathic confrontation—a tool for enhancing a sturdy core self, and cultivating a reliable and effective advocate for our children amid the inevitable power struggles.

Disarming the Narcissist: Surviving and Thriving with the Self-Absorbed book cover

by Wendy T. Behary LCSW, Daniel J. Siegel MD, Jeffrey Young PhD··You?

2021·240 pages·Personality Disorders, Dysfunctional Relationships, Psychological Pathologies, Communication Skills, Boundary Setting

When Wendy T. Behary first developed her approach to dealing with narcissism, she drew on decades of clinical experience working closely with individuals exhibiting narcissistic traits. This book teaches you how to recognize narcissistic behaviors and navigate conversations without falling into their manipulative traps. You'll learn techniques like empathic confrontation and setting firm boundaries, which can be crucial when interacting with narcissists in family, work, or social settings. The third edition even addresses complex issues like co-parenting and legal challenges, making it especially useful if your relationship with a narcissist is entangled with these dynamics. If you want practical insight into managing these difficult relationships, this book offers a grounded perspective, though it’s not for those seeking quick fixes.

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Best for personal understanding plans
This AI-created book on personality disorders is crafted specifically from your background, skill level, and the particular aspects of personality disorders you want to explore. By sharing your unique experience and goals, you get a book that addresses exactly what you need to understand and manage these complex conditions. This tailored approach makes the material clearer and more applicable to your life, avoiding one-size-fits-all explanations.
2025·50-300 pages·Personality Disorders, Diagnostic Criteria, Emotional Regulation, Interpersonal Dynamics, Coping Mechanisms

This tailored book explores personality disorders with a focus that matches your unique profile and learning goals. It delves into various disorders, examining their characteristics, challenges, and the nuanced ways they manifest in individuals. This personalized guide reveals insights specific to your interests, ensuring the content feels relevant and accessible. By synthesizing expert knowledge and aligning it with your background, it provides a clear pathway to understanding complex psychological patterns without overwhelming you with extraneous details. The book carefully navigates diagnostic criteria, coping mechanisms, and interpersonal dynamics, offering a detailed look into each disorder you want to understand. Its tailored nature allows you to engage deeply with the material most applicable to your situation, making the learning experience both efficient and enriching.

Tailored Guide
Diagnostic Insight
1,000+ Happy Readers
Best for high-conflict divorce strategies
Bill Eddy, LCSW, JD, is a family lawyer, therapist, and mediator with extensive experience managing high-conflict disputes. As cofounder of the High Conflict Institute and author of sixteen books, he brings a unique perspective to divorcing spouses with personality disorders. His expertise informs this guide, which helps you navigate the legal and emotional complexities of separating from a manipulative partner with borderline or narcissistic traits.

Drawing from his dual expertise as a family lawyer and therapist, Bill Eddy offers a focused examination of the challenges posed by divorcing individuals with borderline or narcissistic personality disorders. The book breaks down complex legal and psychological hurdles, such as managing manipulative behaviors, navigating custody disputes, and understanding different types of domestic violence. For example, new chapters address false allegations and protective orders, providing clear guidance on how to present your case effectively. If you're facing a high-conflict divorce, this book equips you with strategies to maintain emotional balance and assertiveness throughout the process, making it especially relevant for those entangled in these difficult separations.

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Best for understanding coexisting conditions
Daniel J. Fox, PhD, is a licensed psychologist with over twenty years of experience specializing in personality disorders across prisons, universities, and private practice. His expertise in treating complex psychopathology informs this book, which offers a nuanced understanding of borderline personality disorder complicated by coexisting conditions. Fox’s authoritative background ensures readers gain both clinical insight and practical knowledge tailored to managing complex BPD symptoms effectively.

Daniel J. Fox, PhD, brings over two decades of experience working with personality disorders in diverse settings, including prisons and universities. This book unpacks the nuanced challenges faced by those with borderline personality disorder complicated by coexisting conditions like PTSD, bipolar disorder, or ADHD. You’ll explore symptom checklists and tailored management strategies that acknowledge BPD’s spectrum and complexity, moving beyond one-size-fits-all approaches. Whether you’re a clinician or someone navigating complex BPD personally, this guide equips you with a clearer understanding and practical insights to better manage emotional balance and related symptoms.

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Best for parents of children with BPD
Booklist, a respected authority in book reviews, highlights this guide as an indispensable resource for parents and caregivers of children and adults with borderline personality disorder. Their recommendation comes from recognizing the book's thorough approach to complex family dynamics and caregiver self-care. They emphasize, "This is a valuable, practical resource for parents and caregivers of children, from age five through adulthood, who exhibit signs of, or have been diagnosed with, borderline personality disorder (BPD)." This book helped shift their understanding by blending clinical insights with heartfelt stories, providing a roadmap filled with hope and practical guidance.

Recommended by Booklist

This is a valuable, practical resource for parents and caregivers of children, from age five through adulthood, who exhibit signs of, or have been diagnosed with, borderline personality disorder (BPD). Useful for both parents just learning about BPD and those with years of familiarity, the book goes through strategies of care for children with the disorder as well as tools for caregiver self-care, providing many useful resources along the way. One particularly unique and helpful tool placed throughout the book are charts comparing BPD with other disorders. With chapters dedicated to family dynamics and working with siblings, the book ultimately offers a roadmap for people to understand the complexities of the disorder, not just from a clinical perspective, but through personal accounts from people who have BPD. ‘When we began this book, the parents we interviewed asked us to include stories of hope,’ write the authors. ‘We thought such tales were going to be hard to find, but we had plenty—way more than we can use.’ Highly recommended for all libraries.

Stop Walking on Eggshells for Parents: How to Help Your Child (of Any Age) with Borderline Personality Disorder without Losing Yourself book cover

by Randi Kreger, Christine Adamec MBA, Daniel S. Lobel PhD, Fran L. Porter MA BEd··You?

Randi Kreger's decades of work focused on borderline personality disorder shaped this guide tailored specifically for parents navigating the challenges of raising children with BPD. You’ll gain insight into how BPD manifests across childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, along with strategies to communicate effectively and maintain healthy boundaries without sacrificing your own wellbeing. The book includes chapters dedicated to family dynamics and sibling relationships, plus comparative charts that clarify how BPD differs from other disorders, making it easier to grasp the nuances. Real stories from parents and individuals with BPD add depth beyond clinical explanations, helping you relate to the experience and find hope in difficult moments.

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Best for personal emotional plans
This AI-created book on emotional balance is tailored to your specific goals and background in managing emotions and relationships. You share your current experiences, areas of difficulty, and what you hope to achieve, and the book focuses on providing exactly the guidance you need. It’s designed to help you take concrete steps toward emotional stability and improved interactions every day. This personalized approach ensures you don’t sift through generic advice but get a clear, effective path crafted just for you.
2025·50-300 pages·Personality Disorders, Emotional Regulation, Symptom Management, Interpersonal Skills, Relationship Dynamics

This tailored book explores a step-by-step plan designed to help you manage emotional symptoms and improve your interactions over a 30-day period. It covers techniques to recognize emotional triggers, develop balanced responses, and cultivate healthier relationships. By focusing on your unique background and goals, this personalized guide offers relevant approaches to stabilize emotions and navigate complex interpersonal dynamics. You’ll find a thoughtful synthesis of expert knowledge adapted precisely to your interests and challenges. The book reveals how gradual, focused actions can foster emotional balance and enhance connection with others, making the learning experience both practical and deeply resonant.

Tailored Guide
Emotional Stabilization
1,000+ Happy Readers
Best for integrative borderline therapy
Daniel J. Fox, PhD, is a licensed psychologist with extensive experience assessing and treating personality disorders across multiple clinical settings. His expertise shines through in this workbook, which offers an integrative approach to understanding and managing borderline personality disorder, drawing on a range of therapeutic modalities. Fox’s background as an educator and clinician informs the practical and empathetic tone of the book, making it a solid choice for those ready to navigate their diagnosis with informed guidance.

Daniel J. Fox, PhD, draws on over fifteen years of experience treating personality disorders in diverse settings, including prisons and universities, to offer a nuanced and integrative approach to managing borderline personality disorder (BPD). This workbook goes beyond simplistic models, combining dialectical behavior therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and interpersonal therapy to help you identify emotional triggers and develop personalized coping strategies. You'll explore how BPD influences your self-perception and relationships, with exercises designed to foster insight and gradual change. If you're seeking a compassionate guide grounded in clinical expertise, this book provides a thoughtful framework tailored to various stages of recovery.

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Best for DBT symptom management
Suzette Bray, LMFT, is a therapist and founder of multiple mental health programs dedicated to borderline personality disorder. With over 20 years of clinical experience, she has authored this workbook to provide practical DBT-based strategies and exercises aimed at helping you manage symptoms and improve well-being. Her deep expertise shines through the clear explanations and structured approach, making this a valuable resource for anyone seeking to understand and navigate BPD more effectively.
2024·180 pages·Personality Disorders, Borderline Personality Disorder, Psychotherapy, Mental Health, Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Suzette Bray, LMFT, brings over two decades of clinical experience to this workbook, drawing from her extensive work with individuals affected by borderline personality disorder (BPD). This book focuses on dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), offering practical exercises and self-assessments that teach you how to regulate intense emotions, improve communication, and build resilience. You'll find clear guidance on understanding your diagnosis and managing crises as they arise, with strategies designed for use both independently and alongside therapy. If you're navigating BPD or supporting someone who is, this workbook provides concrete tools to foster emotional balance and healthier relationships.

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Conclusion

These seven books converge on a few clear themes: the importance of setting boundaries, the complexity of coexisting conditions, and the need for tailored strategies in navigating these challenging relationships. If you're grappling with a loved one's borderline personality disorder, Stop Walking on Eggshells and Stop Walking on Eggshells for Parents offer compassionate, practical guidance. For those facing narcissistic behavior, Disarming the Narcissist provides effective communication tools.

Legal professionals or individuals undergoing difficult separations will find Splitting invaluable for managing high-conflict divorce scenarios. Meanwhile, Complex Borderline Personality Disorder and the two workbooks by Daniel J. Fox and Suzette Bray equip readers with therapeutic techniques that blend clinical insight and hands-on exercises.

Alternatively, you can create a personalized Personality Disorders book to bridge the gap between general principles and your specific situation. These books can help you accelerate your learning journey and empower you with knowledge tailored to your needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm overwhelmed by choice – which book should I start with?

Start with Stop Walking on Eggshells if you're dealing with a loved one who has borderline personality disorder. Its clear guidance on setting boundaries and communication is accessible and highly recommended by Bill Eddy and Randi Kreger.

Are these books too advanced for someone new to Personality Disorders?

No, several books like Stop Walking on Eggshells for Parents and the workbooks by Daniel J. Fox and Suzette Bray are written with accessibility in mind, offering practical exercises and straightforward explanations for beginners.

What’s the best order to read these books?

Begin with foundational understanding via Stop Walking on Eggshells, then explore specific challenges with Disarming the Narcissist or Splitting depending on your situation. Follow with therapeutic workbooks for skill-building and symptom management.

Which books focus more on theory vs. practical application?

Complex Borderline Personality Disorder and Splitting delve into theory and clinical context, while the workbooks and Disarming the Narcissist emphasize practical strategies and exercises you can apply immediately.

Do these books assume I already have experience in Personality Disorders?

Not at all. Authors like Suzette Bray and Randi Kreger write specifically for diverse audiences, including family members and those newly learning about these conditions, making their books accessible regardless of prior knowledge.

Can personalized books complement these expert recommendations?

Yes! While these expert books provide a strong foundation, personalized books tailor insights to your unique needs, helping apply expert knowledge to your situation. You can explore this option here.

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