HOFFMAN, PERRY D.

National Educational Alliance – Borderline Personality Disorder

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The translation of accurate science to clinical practice is crucial in dealing with all illnesses whether they be physical or psychiatric. It may be particularly relevant for borderline personality disorder (BPD) as the personal and societal impacts of BPD, a misunderstood, misdiagnosed, under serviced disorder, are enormous. One phrase, all too often heard, is, "The best thing to do with a BPD patient is to refer them out." Clinicians, understandably, have been fearful of the disorder and its manifestations, and often feel deskilled in the treatment process. This application requests funds to support the project Translating Research into Practice: Borderline Personality Disorder in Clinical Care (TRIP) to help clinicians in their work and treatment of the disorder. TRIP includes two components:1) four annual scientific conferences on BPD that address the salient issues of the current research to direct clinical practice, and 2) an accompanying dedicated scientific web site both to allow for immediate and wide dissemination of conference proceedings and to further promote dialogue among researchers and clinicians. TRIP builds on the successful foundation of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded Family Perspectives Series (FPS) conferences sponsored by the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (NEA-BPD). To date, NEA-BPD has convened four NIMH-funded conferences with the fifth and final conference to be in October 2007. NEA-BPD also provided in-kind services to co-host 16 regional symposiums across the country and abroad. NIMH in proclaiming the Decade of Translational Research recognizes the importance of translating the science into the area of direct clinical services supporting the central goal of this initiative, to inform treaters in the field of the current research and provide a specific forum for its application to clinical practice. In summary, the project brings together researchers whose work informs treatment service with the explicit goal to dialogue with clinicians, both in-person at the conferences and through the dedicated web site, on the science relevant to clinical issues. Thus, TRIP serves a unique role in advances to treat BPD. Moreover, the proposed series underscores the timeliness of the recent initiative of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) as it now, in 2006, officially includes BPD in its portfolio with the stated policy of making treatments more available. Borderline personality disorder is an often devastating and confusing psychiatric illness with the diagnosis encompassing patients with a pervasive pattern of affective instability, severe difficulties in interpersonal relationships, problems with behavioral or impulse control (including suicidal behaviors), and disrupted cognitive processes. The prevalence of the disorder is variously estimated at 0.7% to 2% (Swartz, Blazer, George et al., 1990; Maier, Lichtermann, Klinger et al., 1992; Samuels, Nestadt, Romanoski et al., 1994; Torgersen, Kringlen & Cramer, 2001). With increasing research on the disorder, it is important that clinicians in the field know about the latest science and its implications and applications for effective treatment.