Borderline Personality Disorder; Treatments

Treatments; Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder is amongst the hardest personality disorders to treat. BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) continues to aggravate, baffle, and reward doctors and psychologists. Psychotherapies differ considerably; however, there are two major paths to treatment with this disorder: insight-oriented therapy or stabilizing interventions. Each pathway is characterized by particular techniques and interventions, but each is primarily defined by its overarching goal or objective. (2)

Insight-oriented therapy is often referred to as expressive, exploratory, or uncovering psychotherapy. Its goal is to start a process that helps the patient increase their awareness of inner experiences (needs, longings, feelings, values, beliefs, etc). Different techniques may result in an increased understanding of the patient (making sense of past experiences, understanding more of behavior). When well timed and treated with sensitivity and care, this approach may be the critical ingredient to treating the patient. However, if such interventions take place too early, or with a fearful and neurotic patient, it may lead to departure from treatment.

The second treatment option is stabilizing interventions, also known as supportive psychotherapy. This approach aims to decrease arousal, foster affective stabilization, and improve adaptive self control. (2) All techniques under this option are designed to improve ego functioning, and do foster the development of more adaptive coping strategies.

Along with these psychotherapy treatments, there are a plethora of different pharmacological treatments (Mood Stabilizers, Anti-Depressants), and psychosocial treatments (dialectical behavior therapy). All of them are defiantly somewhat effective, however I believe the best option would be insight-oriented therapy with pharmacological treatments. They seem to have the highest success rate, make the most sense, and seem the most practical.

I am sure depending on the patient; one treatment that has a high success rate may not be as useful as one that does not. We should all keep in mind that treatments for BPD have improved over recent years, and will keep improving. What I cannot do, however, is say that any of these treatments are exactly what patients’ need. Neither I nor any doctor could get insight a BPD patients mind and realize all of