Borderline Personality Disorder Treatment for Young Adults in New York City & Washington, D.C.

Presentation of BPD depends on each individual and there are no clear differences between how it shows up for young adults versus older adults. Often, young adults may be diagnosed more quickly than older adults, but the symptoms and reasons for diagnosis are the same, regardless of someone’s age.

Personality disorders vary from person to person and a key emphasis is to help clients develop the skills they need to manage negative thought patterns and problematic behaviors. At The Dorm, our integrated approach to treating young adults diagnosed with borderline personality disorder includes:

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Focuses on mindfulness, emotional regulation, and skills for building healthy relationship patterns.

• Schema Therapy: Reshapes an individual’s thinking patterns (schemas) to form healthy patterns.

• Transference-Focused Therapy: Focuses on reducing the transference of emotions to others.

• Mentalization-Based Therapy: Helps clients to understand their own emotions, thoughts, and feelings about others.

• Attachment and Trauma Therapy: Allows an individual to understand early attachment to caregivers and the effect of trauma on relationships.

Though each type of therapy is shown to have benefits, research indicates that DBT is the most effective treatment for borderline personality disorder, as it is shown to effectively improve symptoms and reduce self-injury, suicide attempts, and inpatient hospitalizations. A 2014 study found that 77% of patients no longer met criteria for BPD diagnosis after completing one year of DBT therapy (Stiglmayr et al., 2014).

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) involves several modes of treatment: individual therapy, skills group, and phone coaching.

• Individual Therapy: Clients enrolled in comprehensive DBT meet with their therapist once or twice a week and use diary cards to keep track of their behaviors and use of skills from the days that they do not see their therapist.

• Skill Groups: Across 16 sessions of intensive skills groups, clients go through four modules: Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation and Distress Tolerance. Groups are also offered for neurodiverse clients interested in learning DBT skills and those who have completed the DBT curriculum.

• Phone Coaching: Therapists are available to clients for skills coaching over the phone to support clients during a crisis. In addition, clients have access to a 24/7 Dorm hotline, which connects them directly to a Dorm clinician at all times.

For more information on DBT offerings visit our DBT page.

Yes, treatment can most definitely help even if past therapy has been unsuccessful. Many clients come to The Dorm after trying previous treatment settings. For BPD, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is considered the gold standard of care. If someone with BPD has yet to try DBT, engaging in DBT coaching and a DBT skills group is the best way to start.

Clinicians emphasize that treatment for BPD takes time and improving symptoms depends on many factors. BPD may also take longer to treat than other diagnoses because it is deep rooted, often stigmatized, and there are no medications to specifically treat BPD. But with the right support and willingness to engage in treatment, people with BPD can find relief and better ways of coping.

It depends! There is no single timeline for treating BPD, because it can present very differently from person to person. Everyone’s experiences, environment, and background shape how they engage with the world around them. For example, someone with BPD may experience black and white thinking. How the people closest to them respond to this way of thinking can influence how that person learns to cope and adapt over time. Length of treatment varies depending on a person’s engagement in care and their environment.

Not necessarily – young adults need treatment when they are unable to meet their goals or function to support themselves. But having BPD does not inherently require a higher level of treatment. Many people with BPD live independent, fulfilling lives outside of a treatment setting. If you or someone you love is struggling with BPD, considering mental health intervention might be the best next step.

Family therapy can play a critical role in treatment when used in conjunction with other modalities, as BPD often affects the entire family system outside of the individual. It provides space for repair, boundary-setting, and establishing more effective communication to move forward after treatment. Family therapy also provides a space for psychoeducation to better understand the unique nature and treatment of BPD compared to other mental health challenges.