Conceptualizing borderline personality disorder within an emotional disorders framework: Implications for treatment with the unified protocol

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe psychiatric condition that represents a large proportion of treatment-seeking individuals. BPD is characterized by high rates of co-occurrence with depressive and anxiety disorders; this comorbidity may result from shared temperamental vulnerabilities. Given this, BPD has previously been conceptualized as an emotional disorder, maintained by aversive reactions to frequently occurring negative emotions. The Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP) was developed to address these core features relevant across the range of emotional disorders, including BPD. The purpose of this chapter is to provide the rationale for conceptualizing BPD as an emotional disorder and the corresponding implications for psychological treatment. A case example of an individual with BPD who received a course a treatment with the UP will also be presented.