Mentalization as a common process in treatments for borderline personality disorder: Commentary on the special issue...

Chapman and Dixon-Gordon were invited to write this commentary, they were concerned that they did not know enough about mentalization to make coherent comments on this interesting series. As it turns out, they were among a shrinking minority, as the past decade has witnessed a surge research on mentalization. Work in this field has been pioneered, in no small part, by the authors of the present issue. Collectively, this set of articles provides a useful summary of the state of mentalization research for the uninitiated and makes a compelling case for mentalization as a key translational construct, particularly with regard to borderline personality disorder (BPD). Mentalization deserves attention in further translational research as well as in treatment refinement for BPD and other clinical problems. Future work should also involve the development of effective, objective ways to assess mentalization. Ultimately, the use of translational constructs to loosen the boundaries between evidence-based treatment approaches may help us move toward more refined, accessible, and effective treatment for BPD and other complex mental health problems.