Question: In adults with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, how effective is mentalisation based therapy (MBT) when compared to any other treatment in improved patient outcomes?

Answer:

The available evidence suggests that mentalisation based therapy/ psychoanalytically orientated partial hospitalisation can offer improvements in suicidal and self-harm behaviours and self-reported anxiety, depression and functional outcomes for patients with borderline personality disorder, when compared with standard psychiatric care. These improvements appear to be sustained over the longer term. However, it should be noted that these conclusions are based on the results of two, relatively small, trials, which both appear to have been conducted by the originators of the intervention. Therefore, as noted by the authors, further large, independent studies are needed to confirm their findings.