The treatment of borderline personality disorder: implications of research on diagnosis, etiology, and outcome.

The treatment of patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) is challenging. Making a diagnosis is necessary to plan therapy. But since we do not know the etiology of BPD, treatment cannot be based on a well-established theory. Outcome research shows that most patients recover with time. A series of clinical trials show that a variety of psychotherapies are effective in BPD and that the effects of medication are unimpressive.