Behavioural treatment of chronic, severe self-loathing in people with borderline personality disorder. Part 1: interrupting the self-loathing cycle

Objective: The purpose of this article is to briefly outline difficulties in the standard behavioural treatment of severe chronic self-loathing in people with borderline personality disorder, and to follow with a fuller discussion on interrupting the self-loathing cycle. This is the first of a series of two articles on this topic. The second article focuses on the specific intervention of self-compassion and briefly mentions a range of other behavioural interventions. Conclusions: Treating severe chronic self-loathing in people with borderline personality disorder can be challenging for client and clinician alike, with standard approaches often being ineffective. Assessment of reinforcers of the locked-in downward spiral of self-loathing will guide interventions for clients to interrupt this vicious cycle.