Supportive Psychotherapy and Case Management

Psychotherapy of borderline personality disorder (BPD) has often focused on specialized and putatively more effective treatments such as dialectical behavioral therapy. In recent years, accumulating evidence suggests that many BPD patients benefit equally well from well-structured but less specialized care designed to meet their needs. Supportive psychotherapy (SPT) and various forms of clinical management, such as structured clinical management (SCM) and general psychiatric management (GPM), have been successfully adapted for treatment of BPD. This chapter describes the theoretical backgrounds for these approaches, main treatment techniques, and how they can be implemented to provide good outcomes for individuals diagnosed with BPD.