[Borderline Personality Disorder in the Somatic Hospital Setting]

Borderline Personality Disorder in the Somatic Hospital Setting Abstract. The Borderline Personality Disorder is a common mental illness characterized by emotional instability, interactional difficulties, an unstable sense of self and impulsive behaviour which is often self-destructive. Since these problems frequently occur in the doctor-patient relationship, patients might be regarded as "difficult" or even manipulative. This may lead to stigmatization and medical undertreatment when due to common mental and somatic comorbidities the condition requires thorough high-standard medical care. Whereas the core symptoms of BPD are well treatable by specific evidence-based psychotherapy, pharmacological interventions are less effective and should be restricted to crisis management. Through a better understanding of the disorder, proactive communication with all involved care providers and a collaborative doctor-patient relationship providing support and boundaries simultaneously the quality of medical care can be improved with long-lasting effects.