The same person who suggested I read A new way to win by Tobias Desjardins also suggested that I read High conflict people in legal disputes by Bill Eddy, LCSW, ESQ, and I have to say that this book really helped me get through some of the things I’m going through.

This particular book is intended for professionals, such as counselors, lawyers, judges, etc. and how to best identify and work with (or let go of) high-conflict people, and know when to let go of clients with this personality type. Eddy delves into DSM-IV-TR group B personality disorders: borderline, narcissistic, antisocial, and histrionic. Most people with high-conflict personality disorders have one or more (typically more) of these personality disorders. While I had studied these specific personality disorders while studying my undergraduate degree in psychology, as I don’t deal with personality disorders on a regular basis, this was a great refresher for me.

Individuals with these personality disorders tend to have specific cognitive distortions, which the individual actually believes to be true, even though it is their fabricated reality.

I found the information in this book quite helpful for my situation, especially as it describes who and how someone can become the target of a person with one of these personality disorders. It also describes exactly how I have felt as a target and how I should deal with the situation with pretty specific advice.

It was also helpful for me to understand how a person with cognitive distortions thinks, feels, and why they do the things they do. This helps me understand how to handle specific situations both in person and through documentation for other professionals (i.e. investigators, law enforcement officials, and judges). It also helped me prepare for the worst possible outcome for my situation; however, because of the information and advice presented in this book, I was able to present myself and my evidence in a way that was beneficial to my side.

Many times, someone with this type of personality disorder has had them from a very young age and without adequate (and specific) treatment, these disorders:

• Rule their lives
• Carry them down the self-destructive path
• Maintain and increase interpersonal conflict, unreliability of dramatic mood swings and instability in all aspects of the individual’s life.
• Create preoccupation with cognitive distortions and delusions.

Each personality disorder will lead to different fundamental failures and difficulties in each area of ​​a person’s life. However, when an individual has the four of them of these disorders, it really is a recipe for disaster for them and for those around them because everyone will be affected.

If you are a professional, if you believe that someone has attacked you and got into a legal dispute, if you think you may be in a relationship (or have a relationship with), or are simply looking for additional information about these personalities. disorders, I highly recommend reading this book as it is very insightful, informative, and easy to read (even if you’re not a professional in one of these areas that requires a contract reading comprehension level).