SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT FOR BORDERLINES

Dr. Marsha Linehan of the University of Washington in Seattle created a program that has been effective in treating Borderline Personality Disorder -- Dialectical Behavior Therapy.  However, it's not an easy program for Borderlines to grasp and takes years to show positive results.

This month's American Journal of Psychiatry announced a new alternative psychotherapy treatment for Borderlines called mentalization based therapy (MBT).  This new Borderline treatment focuses on helping an individual separate out what thoughts and feelings are theirs, and what thoughts and feelings are others'.

Now there's a concept.  I used to tell my Borderline partner that he had screens over his ears.  I would say one thing and he would react as if I had said something else -- and he'd be angry at what he thought I'd said.  It was a no-win, crazy-making situation.

And trying to tell a Borderline that their perceptions aren't correct is like trying to tell a blind person that a lamp is on in the room.  The Borderline simply can't see it.  You said what you said -- or did what you did -- and the Borderline knows why you did it -- and you deserve the rage, you spawn of the devil.

The good news for Borderlines is that this MBT program actually is fairly successful, in much less time than DBT. 

The Borderline program is 18 months of mentalization based therapy, followed by 18 months of maintenance mentalizing group therapy, for a total of three years worth of treatment. 

Compared to how long it takes for DBT to take hold, this is good news.

Now if we can only convince our Borderlines that they need it . . . .

What do you think about this new treatment?  Think it would work?  Take a moment to comment below. 

Comments

[Lynn Melville]

Yes, Anna, that's usually the problem with Borderlines. To them, it seems like it's everyone else's fault. And actually, there's a grain of truth in what they say. Because if we didn't *do* what we do -- they wouldn't *feel* the way they feel -- so it's our fault! That's the logic they're following. They want us to stop making them feel their feelings and then they won't be upset. Trying to tell a Borderline that they're misperceiving interactions is like trying to tell a blind person there's a lamp on in the room -- they simply can't *see* it.

Keep taking care of yourself and deciding whether you're willing to go down with your Bordrline's ship.

Lynn Melville
Author, Boomerang Love

[Anna Efstathiou]

Hi This is Anna from Australia
Not a chance my BPD did well to go to 3 sessions of counselling to two different counsellors
The first one he had her charmed to the hilt
NO its everyone else fault not theirs as long as they believe that they keep on going

[Lynn Melville]

Thanks, OKC. Hope it helps.

[BPD in OKC]

I have borderline. Thanks for this post.