Main description:

Patients affected by personality disorders account for 30% of all those receiving psychiatric health care services. This special issue provides a state-of-the-art overview on today’s understanding of the pathogenesis, diagnostics, and treatment of personality disorders. The articles clearly show immense progress in detecting the neurobiological underpinnings of personality disorders and borderline personality disorder using modern research methods. These include epigenetic analyses and neuroimaging in addition to elaborate measures of behavior in and outside the lab. Most importantly, hopeful new developments in treatment interventions are presented, e.g. by specifically targeting ego-syntonicity and motivation in patients and including family members in treatment. This special issue will be of significant interest not only to psychiatrists and psychologists in the field, but also to all other clinicians working with patients affected by personality disorders.