MHM Magazine

26 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | 2024 | Issue 6 MHM If you’re a GP or mental health professional, you’re likely familiar with the unique challenges of treating Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Managing BPD patients can be demanding; finding an effective, sustainable approach to treatment is often challenging. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a well-supported, evidence-based treatment that offers hope for improving outcomes for patients with BPD. Here we’ll look at BPD, introduce DBT, and explore its role in the South African context. What is BPD? BPD is marked by difficulties with emotion regulation, unstable relationships, and a fragile sense of self. Many patients with BPD experience symptoms like self- harm, intense suicidal thoughts, and extreme mood swings, making them especially vulnerable. This constellation of chronic symptoms and high-risk behaviours makes it challenging to treat BPD effectively, especially in under- resourced settings like South Africa’s public health services. Key Symptoms of BPD: • Fear of abandonment • Intense interpersonal relationships • Fragile sense of self • Impulsive, self-destructive By Lauren Creese Senior Clinical Psychologist Eastern Cape Province creeselauren@gmail.com BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER: AN EVIDENCE-BASED THERAPY APPROACH IN DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOUR THERAPY MHM | 2024 | Volume 11 | Issue 6 | Borderline Personality Disorder: An Evidence-Based Therapy Approach in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy H