Transference-focused Psychotherapy (TFP) for Borderline Personality Disorder
An 18-Month Psychotherapy of Borderline Personality Disorder
See full descriptionAbout the trial for Borderline Personality Disorder
Treatment Groups
This trial involves 2 different treatments. Transference-focused Psychotherapy (TFP) is the primary treatment being studied. Participants will all receive the same treatment. There is no placebo group. The treatments being tested are not being studied for commercial purposes.
Eligibility
This trial is for female patients between 18 and 65 years old. There is one eligibility criterion to participate in this trial as listed below.
Approximate Timelines
Measurement Requirements
This trial is evaluating whether Transference-focused Psychotherapy (TFP) will improve 3 primary outcomes and 3 secondary outcomes in patients with Borderline Personality Disorder. Measurement will happen over the course of Every 3 months for 18-month duration of treatment.
Patient Q & A Section
What causes borderline personality disorder?
Although the current research confirms the existence of a strong genetic component, this research is also clear that genetic and environmental factors will interact dynamically to affect the course of the disorder. Results from a recent paper of this study are consistent with the existence of "environmental" factors that have a role in the development of BPD.
What are common treatments for borderline personality disorder?
Treatment of these disorders involves a wide variety of styles and procedures including CBT, psychodynamic therapy, group therapy and family therapy amongst others. In some instances the patient may have to wait for appointments on varying lists, for example, six months to three years.
Can borderline personality disorder be cured?
In order to assess the effectiveness of a treatment for BPD, careful documentation of both improvement and persistence throughout treatment is essential. If individuals with borderline personality disorder are not benefiting as a result of treatment, further investigation is necessary to diagnose whether BPD does not have an underlying cause. Further research is warranted especially investigating the causal relationships, if any, between borderline personality disorder and depression or substance use disorder.
How many people get borderline personality disorder a year in the United States?
There is a remarkably low incidence of borderline personality disorder, even within the most severely maltreated adult sample of the US. Results from a recent paper challenge the pervasive view that borderline personality disorder is a common disorder.
What are the signs of borderline personality disorder?
Significant symptoms are common in this disorder, but the severity of these symptoms varies. Individuals with borderline personality disorder often experience extreme emotion, interpersonal and relationship problems, substance misuse and other symptoms that vary in the degree to which they are present. A diagnosis of BPD cannot be made from symptoms alone. BPD cannot be considered as a pure personality disorder (PD) either and it is important to remember that BPD can exist in a person that doesn’t have the symptom list of PD. Those individuals with BPD have a significantly lower quality of life than those in the general population. There are some clinical features that can help make the diagnosis.
What is borderline personality disorder?
The diagnostic criteria of borderline personality disorder were not supported by self-report data. This may in part, reflect the rarity or "sociability" nature of borderline personality disorder and the nonrepresentative samples that have been utilized thus far. Further research of borderline personality disorder would benefit from a broader range of sample descriptors than those who currently meet the criteria.
Who should consider clinical trials for borderline personality disorder?
Clinicians should consider referral to clinical trial sites for research. In contrast to clinical trials for psychotic disorders and mood disorders, such sites should not simply expect clinical remission, sustained reduction of illness or an improvement in quality of life, but should attempt to identify biological correlates and biological mechanisms.
What does transference-focused psychotherapy (tfp) usually treat?
In general, our findings suggest that transference is typically treated through (unconditional commitment of the client to a nonjudgmental clinician of sufficient interpersonal skill and interpersonal sensitivity when dealing with the client in his or her capacity as a mental figure and a physical body), and in this light, such nonjudgmental interpersonal skills and interpersonal sensitivity are likely to include the ability to elicit and respond to countertransference (i.e., to experience the countertransference of other people, without being overly identified with them). We also report findings suggesting that, in particular, transference typically involves at least three aspects of countertransference.
Have there been other clinical trials involving transference-focused psychotherapy (tfp)?
Our research confirms that there is no clinical evidence from controlled research that TFP is effective in treating BPD. The lack of evidence (as per "research findings" section) leads to the suggestion that TF-R may be the "best fit" within existing frameworks for the treatment for the BPD.
What are the common side effects of transference-focused psychotherapy (tfp)?
The common transference effects of TFPT are very similar to those of psychoanalysis. Since the theoretical underpinnings of TFPT are the same as of psychoanalysis, the difference in its conceptual focus seems to lie in its therapeutic use. We are using TFPT with individuals prone to the development of a severe depressive episode rather than for the treatment of depression itself. This therapeutic use tends to create a more superficial transference effect with TFPT compared to psychoanalytic treatment. This, too, appears to be a common phenomenon because of the similar conceptual foundations of the two psychotherapies.
What are the latest developments in transference-focused psychotherapy (tfp) for therapeutic use?
This paper introduces the application of attachment interventions into TFPD fp as a technique of transference modification. The authors conclude that clinical and scientific evidence support our contention that transference-focused psychotherapy for therapeutic use can be applied more broadly outside a clinical context as a form of attachment intervention for transference modification.
What is the primary cause of borderline personality disorder?
The findings do not support a primary deficit in emotion regulation as a cause of BPD. They also reveal that there is a significant difference between individuals with BPD and those with a comorbid bipolar spectrum disorder in an evaluation of BPD diagnostic features as well as other indicators reflecting personality and emotional functioning. This may have implications for the conceptualization of BPD. Although the sample size was small, the findings were consistent within an internal comparison group, suggesting that BPD is likely in some way hereditary or genetic. Implications can include a possible connection between BPD and certain bipolar spectrum disorders.