ABSTRACT
The treatment of individuals who present with both borderline personality disorder (BPD) and an eating disorder is a complicated and challenging undertaking. The symptoms of these patients are oftentimes prolific, dramatic, and self-injurious. To complicate matters, the relationship issues between the therapist and patient are often intense and volatile and anchored in complicated interactions (i.e., transferences), often resulting from the patient’s historic and chaotic relationships with early caretakers. Treatment continuity is frequently challenged by a variety of factors, including the patient’s erratic motivation and compliance, the limited availability of financial resources for long-term treatment, and the need for varying levels of care (e.g., brief inpatient hospitalization, residential treatment). In addition, there is no empirically proven intervention for borderline personality, with or without eating disorder comorbidity.
