"If you don't have a word for something, you may doubt whether it's even real" - how individuals with borderline personality disorder experience change

This study explored how psychological change was experienced and what treatment-related factors or events were perceived as supporting or hindering their process by individuals with borderline personality disorder. Eight BPD sufferers attended a 40-session psychoeducational group intervention at a c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychotherapy research 2021-11, Vol.31 (8), p.1036-1050
Main Authors: Koivisto, Maaria, Melartin, Tarja, Lindeman, Sari
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Borderline personality disorder
Change agents
cognitive behavior therapy
Community mental health services
Content analysis
Disconnection
Emotional responses
Emotions
group psychotherapy
Group therapy
integrative treatment models
Intervention
Interviews
Mental health care
Metacognition
Personality disorders
Personality tests
process research
qualitative research methods
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Summary:This study explored how psychological change was experienced and what treatment-related factors or events were perceived as supporting or hindering their process by individuals with borderline personality disorder. Eight BPD sufferers attended a 40-session psychoeducational group intervention at a community mental health care center. At intervention end, personal experience of meaningful change was explored in an in-depth interview and data were content-analyzed. Change in BPD symptoms was assessed by the Borderline Personality Disorder Severity Index IV interview. The qualitative content analysis on subjectively perceived meaningful change yielded three core categories: (1) improved ability to observe and understand mental events, (2) decreased disconnection from emotions, emergence of new or adaptive emotional reactions and decrease in maladaptive ones, and (3) a new, more adaptive experience of self and agency. Accordingly, (1) learning and (2) normalizing emerged as the main categories of helpful treatment factors. In turn, treatment-related factors perceived as obstacles were: (1) aggression in the group, and (2) inflexibility. With respect to symptom change, four participants were considered clinically as remitted, and two showed a reliable change. Long-term psychoeducational group therapy seems to enhance mentalization / metacognitive functioning and promote self (or personality) integration in BPD patients.
ISSN:1050-3307
1468-4381
DOI:10.1080/10503307.2021.1883763