Introduction
This article primarily focuses on adolescents with borderline personality disorder (BPD).
BPD in adolescents was not commonly diagnosed in the past due to the belief that the personality is not fully formed until late adolescence or early adulthood. However the level was disability and dysfunction seen in many adolescents who meet criteria for BPD lead many clinicians and, increasingly, researchers to recognize it as a legitimate diagnosis in teenagers. (1)
Treatment
Treatment of adolescents with suicidal behaviors and BPD was studied using the mentalization-based therapy (MBT), a psychodynamic-based approach.
- MBT is a year-long, manual-based treatment with individual and family sessions. The focus is on increasing the adolescent’s and family’s capacity to understand action in terms of thoughts and feelings, which in turn is hypothesized to augment self-control and regulation of affect. The impact of MBT on self-harm was mediated by a decrease in avoidant attachment and an increase in self-reported ability to mentalize. (Editorial: 2, article: 3)
References
1. Westen, D., DeFife, J.A., Malone, J.C., and DiLallo, J. An empirically derived classification of adolescent personality disorders. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2014; 53: 528–549 2. Mehlum, L., Tørmoen, A., Ramberg, M. et al. Dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents with repeated suicidal and self-harming behavior: a randomized trial. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2014; 53: 1082–1091 3. Rossouw, T.I. and Fonagy, P. Mentalization-based treatment for self-harm in adolescents: a randomized controlled trial. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2012; 51: 1304–1313 e3