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Common and specific factors in psychological treatment of personality pathology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2024

Marije Keulen-de Vos Open the ORCID record for Marije Keulen-de Vos [Opens in a new window]  and
Maartje Clercx Open the ORCID record for Maartje Clercx [Opens in a new window]
Marije Keulen-de Vos*
Affiliation:
Senior researcher in the Forensic Psychiatric Center de Rooyse Wissel, Venray, The Netherlands.
Maartje Clercx
Affiliation:
Senior researcher in the Forensic Psychiatric Center de Rooyse Wissel, Venray, The Netherlands and researcher in the Behavioural Science Institute at Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
*
Correspondence Marije Keulen-de Vos. Email: [email protected]
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Summary

Cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) has been widely used for a broad range of mental health problems for several decades and has been researched extensively. Its techniques are relatively easy to learn and follow in treatment protocols. Many new CBT-based psychotherapies have been developed that go further than traditional CBT, some specifically addressing personality disorders. These so-called third-wave approaches target emotional responses to situations by using strategies such as mindfulness exercises and acceptance of unpleasant thoughts and feelings (observing thoughts as ‘from afar’). In this article, we discuss the historical context of these therapies, dissect common and specific factors in some treatment modalities often used to treat personality disorders, and suggest potential future directions for research and treatment.

Keywords

Personality disorderpsychological treatmentcommon factorstherapymental health
Type
Article
Information
BJPsych Advances , First View , pp. 1 - 9
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Royal College of Psychiatrists

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