Integrated Psycho-social Treatment for a Male Patient with Borderline Personality Disorder and Gender Identity Disorder

Abstract

Objective: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a biopsychological entity influenced by the complex interactions of social, psychological, and biological factors. The contemporary epidemic of BPD in Asian countries can be attributed to sociocultural changes associated with Westernization in last two decades. Here we report a case of BPD which illustrates the interactions among sociocultural factors, psychopathology, and treatment. Case Report: An 18-year-old homosexual male with BPD and gender identity disorder (GID) made repeated suicide attempts which were related to conflicts with his parents with traditional values. An integrated treatment was adopted which combined Western psychodynamic psychotherapy, educational family therapy with Chinese indigenous psychologies, and pharmacotherapy. After 25 sessions of psychotherapy and 4 sessions of family therapy, the severity of the family conflicts decreased and the suicide attempts disappeared. Conclusion: Successfully integrated treatment, applying the two psychological theories in differently cultural generations, could be an effective and culturally sensitive method for treating patients in changing sociocultural contexts.