A therapeutic approach to treating the eating disorder/borderline personality disorder patient

The treatment of eating disorder patients is renowned for its challenges, complexities, and inherent risks. When eating disorder patients also exhibit concomitant personality disorders, such as borderline personality disorder, treatment may become extraordinarily difficult. Though the exact prevalence of this subgroup of patients is not explicitly known, current data suggests that patients with eating disorders and borderline personality disorder represent a significant subgroup of the general eating disorder population. Clearly, given the relative prevalence of this group of patients, and the somewhat limited available information to address the particular needs of this subgroup, further clinical exploration needs to be encouraged. This paper outlines the relevant characteristics of these patients that may be targets for initial treatment and suggests a multi-phase conceptual format for working with them.