Effectiveness of cognitive analytic therapy for personality disorders.

Personality disorders affect up to 50% of psychiatric out-patients. Most treatment studies have been performed in patients with borderline personality disorder. Structured psychosocial interventions for people with borderline personality disorders appear to have similar efficacy. There is some evidence that non-structured, non-specialised treatments offered by psychiatric general services might be ineffective and possibly harmful in patients with personality disorders. Cognitive analytic therapy is a time-limited, integrative psychotherapy, which appears to be effective for a range of personality disorders and superior to treatment as usual. Its practical nature and relatively short time limit may make it suitable for front-line clinical services.