Clinical guidelines for psychotherapy for patients with borderline personality disorder

in planning a course of psychotherapy for borderline patients, clinicians m ust take into account the heterogeneity of the clinical presentation in the borderline domain. Borderline personality disorder is usually accompanied, for example, by one or several "symptom disorders," such as an eating diso rder, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, premenstrual tension, diss ociative disorder, or anxiety disorder-not to mention one or more other per sonality disorders. The nature of the "comorbidity" in each patient will de termine which medications, if any, are applicable. The accompanying persona lity disorders will have an impact on amenability to psychotherapy. The mai n forms of therapy currently in use are supportive, cognitive-behavioral (i ncluding dialectical behavioral therapy) and psychodynamic (including tracs ferenae-focused psychotherapy). Group therapy is often used adjunctively wi th any of these approaches. The main question is no longer, Which of these approaches is best, overall? but rather, Which approach is best for which t ype of borderline patient? Contemporary research is addressed to this latte r question.