[A cognitive approach of the borderline personality disorder]

The development of cognitive models and treatments for borderline personality disorder over the last two decades has been remarkable. This article presents the main ideas of the models developed by Aaron T. Beck and Arthur Freeman, Jeffrey Young and Marsha Linehan. These theories have generated psychotherapies that have proven their efficacy in controlled empirical studies in a difficult to treat population. The models of Beck Freeman and Young are based on the concept of schema. Linehan's dialectical behavior therapy is based on a biosocial transactional conception of the disorder. All these models emphasize the importance of negative experiences in early development. The article presents the structure of these treatments and describes their specific interventions.