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Chapter 22 - Borderline Personality Disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2025

By
Marcos S. Croci ,
Marcelo J. A. A. Brañas ,
Stephen Conway ,
Julia Jurist  and
Lois W. Choi-Kain
Edited by
Marsal Sanches  and
Jair C. Soares
Marsal Sanches
Affiliation:
McGovern Medical School, Texas
Jair C. Soares
Affiliation:
McGovern Medical School, Texas
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Summary

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe mental health condition characterized by a chronic pattern of disturbed interpersonal function, affective instability, impulsive behavior, and an unstable sense of self. BPD has considerable public health importance due to its high burden on patients, families, and health care systems. Common in the general population, BPD is highly prevalent in psychiatric settings. It emerges from the interactions between biological (e.g., genetics, neurobiology, and temperament) and environmental factors (e.g., maltreatment and inadequate support). During adolescence, BPD can be differentiated from other psychopathology as a coherent clinical entity. Longitudinal studies have shown that symptomatic remission is common, although functional recovery is less frequent. Specialized psychotherapies, such as dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and mentalization-based treatment (MBT), are considered the first line of treatment. Generalist approaches, such as good psychiatric management (GPM), have also been found effective. Given that specialized treatment availability is limited, and most clinicians will encounter patients with BPD due to its prevalence, it is critical that generalist clinicians learn how to manage BPD effectively.

Keywords

borderline personality disorderpublic healthpsychotherapycase-managementdialectical behavior therapymentalization based treatmenttransference focused psychotherapygeneral psychiatric management
Type
Chapter
Information
Fundamentals of Clinical Psychiatry
A Practical Handbook
 , pp. 221 - 231
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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