Recognizable symptoms and features of borderline personality disorder (BPD) appear during adolescence. However, there has been resistance to diagnose or research this disorder prior to adulthood because of clinical lore that BPD is a long-standing illness and that personality traits are not stable until adulthood. This has resulted in little…

The author describes a sub-group of anorexic patients who present themselves clinically as "invisible" and "insubstantial". The concept of "invisibility" is understood in terms of primitive object relations. The underpinning of this dynamic is a lack of separation and differentiation from mother and a consequent effort to live inside her skin. The…

Female offenders' mental health needs have consistently been shown to exceed those of male offenders. Incarcerated women report higher rates of violent victimization, major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, mood disorders, substance use disorders, and personality disorders. For years, researchers have examined the human-animal…

One of the principal aims of adolescence is the development of the capacity to think for oneself. The authors explore the difficulties caused by disturbances of thinking in borderline adolescents, pointing out the role that the analyst can take in promoting better functioning of their patients' mental processes. Two cases are explored, one through…

Applies codependency group model to families of obsessive-compulsive people based on view that these families are normal, feeling people who are trying to cope with unremitting stress. Clinical vignettes illustrate how these families are similar to families of alcoholics in their management of emotions and in their dysfunctional behaviors. (JBJ)

A developmental approach to the study of personality disturbance is described that begins with a presentation of basic concepts and vocabulary, overviews normal development of personality, and uses case histories and videotaped diagnostic interviews to help students recognize and assess the quality of personality functioning. (JMD)

The primary aim of this article is to describe modifications made to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for a predominantly ethnic minority population of persons living with HIV/AIDS with substance-use diagnoses and borderline personality disorder (BPD) or three features of BPD plus suicidality (i.e., the triply diagnosed). Despite the myriad…

A child's peers may influence his behavior for better or for worse. By involving a child's peers in his therapy, their influence can be made to be consistently positive. By establishing tailor-made peer-therapy groups, the child psychologist will increase his therapeutic impact. Among the possible formats for involving peers in a child's treatment…

Case histories of four women who developed symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder after learning of their daughters' sexual abuse are presented. The women also exhibited depression and personality disorders. Their children's abuse catalyzed a reliving of their own childhood victimization. Case psychodynamics and treatment strategies are…