Citation

Martens WH. Acta Psychiatr. Scand. 2003; 107(6): 465-6; discussion 466-7.

Affiliation

W. Kahn Institute of Theoretical Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Utrecht, The Netherlands. wimmartens@netscape.net

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12752024

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To provide evidence that some borderline patients with poor prognosis can obtain complete remission. METHOD: Case of a violent rapist with borderline personality disorder in remission is reported. An attempt was made to reveal the mechanism of recovery in this forensic patient who initially was assessed as psychotherapeutically untreatable. RESULTS: Psychotherapeutic effects and favourable psychosocial factors such as successful college graduation, increased social-emotional capacities and valuable new relationships did also play a very important role in this remission process. CONCLUSION: Controlled studies are necessary to elucidate the mechanism of recovery among criminal patients with borderline personality disorder in order to provide adequate treatment programmes and to construct more reliable prediction methods for prognosis and reoffending.

Language: en