ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on what may be the most complex of all the personality disorders: the borderline and address those issues which are different from the more standard cognitive therapies and give the reader a conceptualisation and techniques which will light a path toward health for these patients. Some therapists can spot a borderline patient immediately, but they may also be overdiagnosing this disorder. There are many signs that lead to a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). The borderline-histrionic/narcissistic patient displays mood lability, stormy relationships, and overwhelming need for affection and attention. The cognitive components which truly define a borderline personality disorder are the nature of their schematic systems. The borderline patient the therapist must continue to explain the cognitive model in a variety of situations; it appears that these patients are less likely to generalise this concept than other patients. The BPD patient's cognitions are idiosyncratic and often quite distressing to the patient as well as the therapist.
