Personality disorders are a diagnostic category of psychiatric disorders that affect approximately 10% of the population (Torgersen, 2005). Since everyone has a personality, but not everyone has a personality disorder, these disorders are considered a variant form of normal, healthy personality. This group of disorders is characterized by problematic thinking patterns; problems with emotional regulation; and difficulty achieving a balance between spontaneity and impulse control. However, the most significant and defining feature of personality disorders is the negative effect these disorders have on interpersonal relationships. People with personality disorders tend to respond to differing situations and demands with a characteristically rigid constellation of thoughts, feelings, and behavior. This inflexibility and difficulty forming nuanced responses, represents the primary difference between healthy and disordered personalities. The diagnosis of personality disorders ...
The big four in current use The treatment of choice for borderline personality disorder (BPD) is psychotherapy. Currently, four forms of psychotherapy have been found to be effective in treating those with BPD. 1 Two of these treatments—mentalization-based therapy and transference-focused therapy—are viewed as psychodynamic in nature. This means that they focus on identifying recurring patterns in relationships, discussing past experiences, exploring emotions, and bring into awareness mental processes of which the person was not previously aware. A third—dialectical behavioural therapy—is viewed as more cognitive-behavioural in nature. This means that it focuses on unhelpful thinking styles that are believed to affect how a person feels and behaves. The fourth treatment—schema-focused therapy—combines cognitive-behavioural and psychodynamic elements. Mentalization-based therapy (MBT) has been designed to specifically promote the capacity for mentalization in peopl...