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Diagnosis can appear an easy matter from the outside. The truth is much more complex. The art of diagnosing and treating personality disorders is rather difficult and very time consuming to learn, even for trained mental health professionals.The best way to learn is to enter a 3- year training program dedicated to teaching ONLY the diagnosis and treatment of personality disorders. But, even if a therapist has the enough time, energy, and money to do this, there are still problems to solve before a therapist can begin his or her studies.Here are just a few of the issues that I had to consider before I settled on training with the object relations theorist James F. Masterson (1926–2010) in The Masterson Institute.Theoretical ApproachMost people outside the field of psychology are not aware that there are multiple and sometimes contradictory approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of personality disorders. Before you can study this seriously, you have to become aware of the different approaches and choose the one that makes the most sense to you.This decision is the single most important thing the therapist who wants to treat personality disorders needs to do. You will likely be using the system you choose for the rest of your professional life. But how do you choose which one?Here is how I did it:I spent 2–3 years taking courses and seminars with leaders in the field of personality disorders in an attempt to see if their approach fit my needs. I was already a licensed psychologist and certified as a Gestalt therapist. Here you have an abbreviated list of some of the people and approaches I sampled before making up my mind:Ego Psychology—5-day seminar with Gertrude and Rubin Blank, authors of Ego Psychology, Ego Psychology II, Beyond Ego Psychology.Self Psychology—5-day seminar with Paul and Anna Ornstein, also attended a Self-Psychology conference.Otto Kernberg—Attended two lectures by him at a conferences on personality disorders sponsored by Harvard University. Author of the books: Severe Personality Disorders, Borderline Conditions and Pathological Narcissism.Gerald Adler—Attended a lecture by him on Borderline Personality Disorder at a Harvard conference and also a weekend seminar where he debated with Kernberg about what was the best approach to treating BPD. Author of Borderline Psychology and Its Treatment.William Alanson White Institute—This institute teaches Harry Stack Sullivan’s work. I took two courses on personality disorders and also attended a lecture on Borderline Personality Disorder.Habib Davanloo—Attended a 5-day seminar on his approach to the brief psychotherapy of Borderline Personality Disorder. Author of: Unlocking the Subconscious, Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy.James F. Masterson—Attended 2 conferences on his work, listened to multiple lectures by him. Author of: Psychotherapy of the Borderline Adult, The Narcissistic and Borderline Disorders.By the end of three years, I had settled on studying with Masterson.Why did I choose James F. Masterson’s approach?Masterson was the only theorist who taught a different therapeutic approach to all three major personality disorders and focused heavily on differential diagnosis.The other people teaching the treatment of personality disorders generally taught approaches that only fit one personality disorder or were surprisingly general.For example, the Self Psychologists (inspired by Heinz Kohut’s groundbreaking work on NPD) developed an approach that mainly only worked for people with NPD. Gerald Adler focused on BPD. Kernberg used a highly confrontive approach to both BPD and NPD that did not appear appropriate for my clients. Blanck and Blanck focused on the “primitive qualities” of people with personality disorders. (“Primitive” is their word, not mine). I did not find that their approach would help me with differential diagnosis.For perspective, even allowing for the fact that I may be a slow learner, it took me over a decade of intense study of James F. Masterson’s developmental, self, and object relations approach to adequately understand, reliably recognize, and treat the three major personality disorders—BPD, NPD, Schizoid PD—that therapists typically see in private practice.There was no time during those years to also seriously study the psychotic or other disorders that might initially present somewhat like a personality disorder, such as bipolar and schizotypal disorders.How good are most psychotherapists at diagnosing personality disorders?Most psychotherapists are not trained to diagnose personality disorders at all. You have to go to a specialist for the reasons I describe above.Can’t every therapist recognize BPD?No. Before you can definitively diagnose someone with Borderline Personality Disorder, other things have to be determined:Does this person meet the criteria for having a personality disorder in the theoretical system you are using?Is there a different type of issue that might explain these behaviors or symptoms? (A physical disorder or a neurological problem).Can we rule out some form of psychosis? (Bi-Polar Disorder, the onset of schizophrenia, etc.)A differential diagnosis examination needs to be done to decide which of the groups of major personality disorders fits best. In my system this would be Borderline, Narcissistic, or Schizoid Adaptations and their subgroups.Where does C-PTSD enter into this?BPD and C-PTSD are not mutually exclusive diagnoses. C-PTSD is not a personality disorder. Anyone who has been repeatedly traumatized over a period of years can get it.Can’t people just diagnose themselves using the DSM5?No. The DSM5 is not intended to teach how to diagnose a personality disorder. It is basically a checklist of the most obvious behaviors and symptoms so that therapists can code for insurance reimbursement. It leaves out nuances and motives. Further, it divides PDs into 10 overlapping ones that many theorists do not see as valid separate personality disorders. The DSM manual clearly states that this system of diagnosis has not been validated.Are people who diagnose themselves usually accurate?In my experience, most people who try to diagnose themselves give themselves the wrong diagnosis. This doubles my work because I have to first seriously consider whether their diagnosis is correct and ask why they think that diagnosis fit them. While I sometimes learn valuable information from their explanation of why they chose that diagnosis, it would save them money and time if they let me do the diagnosing.Can you trust the diagnoses that other therapists have given this client?If you read people’s Quora profiles, you will find some people who list three or more diagnoses. Somehow they have BPD, NPD, are Bi-Polar, and sociopathic. This is so unlikely, it is almost impossible for all of these to apply.When I ask them about their multiple diagnoses, it turns out that each was given to them by a different mental health professional. In my 40 + years of practice, I have found that when other therapists refer me a client that they have diagnosed with a particular personality disorder, unless they are well-trained in differential diagnosis, they usually have the diagnosis wrong.Punchline: If you want to get an accurate diagnosis, you have to see someone with the appropriate training. You also need to know what theoretical system they are using. The theoretical system the therapist uses will affect the diagnosis that they give you.A2AElinor Greenberg, PhD, CGPin private practice in NYC and the author of the book: Borderline, Narcissistic, and Schizoid Adaptations.www.elinorgreenberg.com

According to a speed-reading test sponsored by Staples as part of an e-book promotion (brilliant marketing, by the way), here are the typical speeds at which humans read, and in theory comprehend, at various stages of educational development:Third-grade students = 150 words per minute (wpm)Eight grade students = 250Average college student = 450Average “high level exec” = 575Average college professor = 675Speed readers = 1,500World speed reading champion = 4,700Average adult: 300 wpmI often had read long novels in a very short amount of time. While reading a 400-page book in one day is not always ideal, it is possible depending on , in which category you lie. But,There are actually several factors that will determine if you can accomplish this. Your reading speed is only one of them.In my opinion, the factors/reasons that affect reading (and if taken care of can make reading fun too) are:-1- not setting a time-limit. Any activity is drag until it has time-component attached to it. Not knowing 'how much to read' and in 'how much time' can be a big road-block to reading and comprehension.2-whether the 'foundation of reading' is strong or not . Reading like anything else is a skill. Just like a child is taught basics of eating, drinking, socializing etc, it is important that the child or the reader is taught about the BASICS OF READING. Techniques like survey, previewing, looking for keywords or main-points etc add spice to reading experience. They can make bring life to a boring write-up too.3-whether the reader knows 'how to connect with the reading material or not'. No activity is fun if one does not feel connected with it. In the same way, the reader needs to first identify pointers that will help him/her to keep themselves engaged in reading. Every human-being can be motivated either by HOW or WHY. If the reader is not aware of what to do/ how to use what s/he is going to learn in their reading, then reading will be drab. So, use your critical thinking and before embarking on reading think how can I apply what I am learning or how this knowledge gained will help me to better person etc???? These finding helps to build stronger connection with the material.4- whether he/she is made aware of the adjustments needed to be made in reading different material.In my more mature opinion now, reading fast is just not worth it.If a book is worth reading at all, then we read it slow - And give our imagination a chance to work through the story with us.If the universe is made of stories, and not atoms, then what we read, is what we dream and think about.The stories we choose to read have to be a choice, not a checklist, nor a conducted curriculum.Don't read fast. Your imagination begs you.

Re-engaging after a long summer vacation can be tough. So tough that students often need to spend the first month of school reviewing the last two months of the previous school year. Adults are no different. So, today we share with you the most important things that your summer brain might have missed or forgotten. These reads will get you ready to make this the best school year yet.A Parent’s Guide to the First Six Weeks A primer for parents to ensure a good transition.How to Crush School Review of new book for middle and high school students by teacher Oskar Cymermann. Teaches teens to develop study skills for school and life success.The Forgetting Curve Learning is a different skill from remembering, and good grades require both. An explanation of what parents and students should know to make memorization easier.Beating Test Anxiety Advice to help your kid perform at his best in those most stressful moments.Participate in an ADHD Research Study Mindprint is co-sponsoring a unique study for parents who have a child with ADHD/attention/disorganization concerns. Participants must sign up before 8/20/16 and meet study criteria.How Parents Can Cultivate a Growth Mindset Growth mindset is the rage in schools. Learn more about the important role of parents.What Teens Need Most This WSJ article explains the teenage brain and sets parents’ expectations for behavior by age.Observation Checklist Parents know their kids better than anyone. Use this checklist if you think your child might be struggling too much in school to understand if and how you should seek extra support.Parent-Teacher Conferences Start preparing early to make this precious time productive. If your child receives accommodations, use this IEP guide instead.Math Word Problem Tip Sheet Print this out and keep it as a handy resource (Best for grades 3 to 8).Building Skills for the 21st Century Workforce Learn more about the skills the World Economic Forum deems the most important and how parents and teachers can develop these skills in our ISTE blog.Sports Success This blog explains how to use learning science to support your aspiring young athlete.Advice for Handling Social-Emotional Issues Childhood expert Dr. Eileen Kennedy-Moore answers parents’ most common behavioral questions.Social Media is Unavoidable Advice for helping children navigate the online world.Teen Mobile Safety Tips Advice from four experts, including Mindprint’s CEO.5 Top Phone Numbers It’s a parent’s job to prepare for the unexpected. Recommendations for phone numbers you’ll want to have handy.Top Priority: Sleep! This edutopia article provides an excellent summary of why sleep is so important and quick tips for a better night sleep.