Supportive Casework with Borderline Patients.

Patients diagnosed as borderline are appearing in increasing numbers in all types of social agencies, yet at the same time "classic" neurotics are showing up in fewer numbers. The goal of this paper is to suggest a casework approach to help the patient adapt more successfully to his environment. First it shall describe the behavior and personality characteristics of the borderline patient. Then it shall attempt to describe how specific aspects of the therapeutic situation lend themselves to the use of certain techniques. This will include a description of general treatment considerations and various sources of potential change. The borderline state is a stepchild of diagnostic thinking. There are some who regard it as a point on the classic continuum between neurosis and psychosis while others regard it as a separate entity. In the second view, the borderline state is seen as a stable, precise diagnostic entity which, while it resembles both neurosis and psychosis, has features that clearly differentiate it from both.