Misdiagnosed, misunderstood and oftentimes entirely overlooked, the obscurity surrounding personality disorders can debilitate as much as the disorders themselves. Using case study examples throughout, this book illustrates the nature and reality of personality disorders and how they play out in the daily lives of those living with them as well as their family members, coworkers, and friends. By explaining the warning signs along with how such disorders might develop, Dobbert demonstrates how personality disorders can be effectively addressed and treated. Distinguishing between the accepted psychological criteria for disorders and the everyday upsets that some might wrongfully determine to be personality disorders, he carefully outlines the contours of such disorders and how to recognize and address them when they arise. In accessible style, Dobbert offers the reader a clear, succinct, and careful overview of the various disorders and what they mean for all those affected by them.

Duane L. Dobbert, PhD, is a forty-year veteran of the criminal justice profession, serving in clinical, administrative, expert witness, educational, research, publishing, and consulting capacities. He is a Fellow of the American College of Forensic Examiners international and a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychological Specialties. His 2004 book, Halting the Sexual Predators Among Us, has received national and international recognition and is the clinical perspective utilized by CARTs (Child Abduction Response Teams) in the United States and in the Florida School Bus Driver training initiative, School Bus Drivers: The 1st Line of Defense against Sexual Predators. Dr. Dobbert is also the author of psychopathy, Perversion, and Lust Homicide. He is professor and coordinator of criminal forensic studies at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida.