Expressed emotion and the treatment of borderline personality disorder

Borderline personality disorder is a severe form of Axis II pathology characterized by disturbed interpersonal relationships. Widely regarded as being very difficult to treat, problematic family interactions are thought to be central to the etiology and maintenance of the disorder. Recently, empirical research has suggested that higher family levels of emotional overinvolvement might be associated with borderline clients doing better clinically and staying out of the hospital. This article describes a family-based approach to the treatment of borderline personality disorder based on the expressed emotion construct. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.