Standardized approaches to individual psychotherapy of patients with borderline personality disorder

Recent developments in individual psychotherapy for patients with borderline personality disorder include psychodynamic, interpersonal, behavioral, and cognitive treatments. The author provides an overview of standardized treatment approaches--that is, modes of treatment that have a clear theoretical rationale and specific strategies and techniques--for borderline personality disorder. Evaluations of the efficacy of these approaches are discussed. Although there is little empirically based knowledge about the effectiveness of these treatments, their adaptation for the specific treatment of borderline personality disorder represents an important step for treatment and research in this area.