The multi-dimensional inpatient treatment of severe character disorders

Patients with severe character disorders present a special challenge to the clinician. Many can be helped with outpatient psychotherapy, often with the adjunctive use of medication. Some cannot, and need intensive inpatient treatment. An inpatient psychiatric unit in a general hospital is described which has been designed to treat such patients. The treatment makes use of a variety of therapeutic modalities. Psychotherapy is central and essential to the successful functioning of this therapeutic instrument.