[Borderline personality disorder: the patients and their relatives]

This present paper reviews the current theories about the borderline personality disorder and their relations with their families and significant others. The biosocial theory states that the relationship between emotional vulnerability and the interactions with family relations seems to explain the problems with DLP clients. This disorder is defined then as an interaction disease. Relatives and significant others usually have symptoms, beliefs, and emotions produced by this interaction. A list of general strategies for the assistance of these clients and their families is introduced: The transformation of the complaint into a problem, the psycho education, the reduction of expressed emotions, the acceptance and the training in different abilities. At the end, the experience with psycho education approach workshops is commented, as well as the use of a psycho educational manual.