The relationship to caregiving: how psychological therapies can support carers of people with a diagnosis of emotionally unstable (borderline) personality disorder

Abstract

This article reviews empirical studies of psychological interventions that have been offered to (informal) carers for people with a diagnosis of emotionally unstable (borderline) personality disorder (EUPD). A search of electronic databases, and subsequent reference searching, was performed in October 2019 to identify empirical studies in this area. In total, sixteen articles were included in this review. The quality of each paper was formally reviewed, alongside their findings. Three main theoretical approaches were apparent: mentalization-based treatment (MBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), and other psycho-education or miscellaneous intervention. Intervention outcome measures included scales for burden, grief, depression, and anxiety, many of which saw improvements, including clinically significant changes. Among high-quality papers, there was no clearly superior approach to interventions for carers. This review emphasised the need for plurality in psychological approaches for supporting carers, and for more work in this developing area of research.