First empirical evaluation of outcomes for mentalization-based group therapy for adolescents with BPD

Personal Disord. 2017 Oct;8(4):396-401. doi: 10.1037/per0000210. Epub 2016 Aug 15.

Abstract

Adolescent borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a devastating disorder, and it is essential to identify and treat the disorder in its early course. A total of 34 female Danish adolescents between 15 and 18 years old participated in 1 year of structured mentalization-based group therapy. Twenty-five adolescents completed the study, of which the majority (23) displayed improvement regarding borderline symptoms, depression, self-harm, peer-attachment, parent-attachment, mentalizing, and general psychopathology. Enhanced trust in peers and parents in combination with improved mentalizing capacity was associated with greater decline in borderline symptoms, thereby pointing to a candidate mechanism responsible for the efficacy of the treatment. The current study provides a promising rationale for the further development and evaluation of group-format mentalization-based treatment for adolescents with borderline traits. (PsycINFO Database Record

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Borderline Personality Disorder / psychology
  • Borderline Personality Disorder / therapy*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Psychotherapy, Group / methods*
  • Theory of Mind / physiology*
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Trust*