Treatment professionals must be cognizant of the unique challenges facing this population of addicts, and must have specific programming set up to meet the unique needs of the borderline personality patient.
An increased risk of suicide, trust issues, the necessity of additional pharmacological therapy, decreased cognitive compliance and family support complications all need to be addressed for optimal treatment. Long term and intensive continuing aftercare will generally be required, and there will best be a single case manager overseeing all clinicians and health care workers employed on the treatment of the borderline personality patient in drug rehab.
Patients with borderline personality disorder are at a very high risk for substance abuse behaviors. Their frequent affective or mood fluctuations, plus their difficulties communicating and interacting in socially acceptable ways when coupled with a greatly decreased level of impulse control, make the use of drugs and the eventual addiction to drugs very common.
Although the treatment of borderline personality patients in drug rehab is very complicated and presents unique challenges, effective treatment is necessary for a number of reasons. Firstly, borderline personality patients concurrently abusing drugs or alcohol are at a significantly elevated risk for suicide, or other harmful behaviors (self mutilation, risky sex etc.). Secondly, when the already low levels of impulse controls are further diminished by intoxication, these patients are at great risk for provoking attacks upon their person, and can quite often become injured through their provocative behaviors.
Some special considerations for the drug rehab treatment of borderline personality disorder patients are increased suicide risks and thus a need for personal monitoring, a need for a comprehensive assessment period, the appointment of a specific case worker, appropriate pharmaceutical symptoms management, individual counseling with a professional familiar with the issues of borderline personality disorder, and long term continuing case management and aftercare.
page last update Aug 05, 2010
