TREATMENT FOR BPD
CBT: Cognitive Behavior Therapy (Aaron Beck) www.academyofct.org
DBT : Dialectical Behavior Therapy (Marsha Linehan) www.behavioraltech.org
Mentalization (Andrew Bateman and Peter Fonagey) Article on Mentalization
SFT: Schema-Focused Therapy (Jeffrey Young) www.schematherapy.com
STEPPS: Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving (Nancy Blum) Article on STEPPS
The reality is that many people cannot have access to the ideal treatment team. Indeed, finding clinicians who are trained and experienced with BPD is still a rarity. Given that, treatment for BPD often requires a flexibility and willingness to experiment with different interventions. For example, if DBT is not available in an area, CBT with the proper psycho-education about BPD can be extremely helpful. Many people find medication can help stabilize emotions or reduce reactivity, but in general there is no magic bullet...
It is also important to recognize that BPD therapies are not one-size-fits-all. Some people do better with intensive psychotherapy, such as the TFP model, while others find DBT most helpful. Another consideration is that there might be stages to treatment modalities: that is, one treatment may be good at one stage of recovery but not necessary at another. Some people find that DBT is a good therapy during the acute stages of the disorder, and as a person gains stability and acquires skills, he or she might want to move into a more psychodynamic model.
