Therapy
The therapy of choice for borderline is nowadays certainly the so-called DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy). This form of therapy, which was developed by the American professor Marsha M. Linehan, combines various elements from different therapeutic approaches, such as hypnosis and behavioral therapy. One of the basic thoughts going beyond this is borrowed from ZEN meditation.
It describes the balancing act between acceptance of oneself and the desire for change. The actual therapy is made up of different components: Strictly structured conversations take place in which different problem areas in the life of the patient are asked about, according to the motto “the worst first”. In this training the patients are taught different modules within a group: During telephone contact the therapist should act as a companion to the patient, so that the patient gets into situations where he is in danger of losing control.
In this context, there is no telephone therapy, but a consultative focus on what has already been learned. The Society for the Research and Therapy of Personality Disorders provides drug recommendations. It must be noted that these drugs usually only have a supportive effect.
For this reason they often, but not always, have their place in the treatment of borderline disorders. In the therapist’s supervision, all staff involved in the therapy should meet once a week to ensure the necessary support and professionalism in dealing with their patients. – Inner attentiveness
- Stress Tolerance
- Interpersonal skills
- Dealing with feelings
How can mood swings be treated?
Rapidly changing mood, moodiness and emotional outbursts are symptoms that can occur in borderline disease. Therapeutically, psychotherapy comes first, as it does for the treatment of the other symptoms. It is the most important component in the treatment of patients with a borderline personality disorder.
In the field of psychotherapy there are several different types of therapy. Dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) in particular has become established for borderline personality disorder. There are three other psychotherapeutic methods that are regularly used: Mindfulness-based therapy (MBT), Young’s schema therapy and transference-focused therapy.
In particular, dialectical-behavioural therapy aims at learning improved behavioral control and emotional regulation. Its aim is therefore, among other things, to control fluctuating moods and mood swings. In addition to psychotherapy, drugs are often used.
Here, active ingredients from the group of mood stabilisers have most likely established themselves. These include active ingredients such as lamotrigine, valproate/valproic acid and topiramate. Smaller studies have also found proof of effectiveness for the antipsychotic aripiprazole.
Mood stabilizers are supposed to reduce impulsive outbursts and strong states of arousal and thus serve to alleviate extreme emotional states. However, none of the drugs mentioned has been officially approved for the treatment of borderline disease due to insufficient results from large studies. Their use is therefore off-label. Nevertheless, the drug therapy shows an additional positive effect in many patients.
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