Mentalization in borderline personality disorder: From bench to bedside.

The current special issue focuses on the potential of mentalizing as a translational construct for the understanding and treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Mentalizing, which provides the central construct around which mentalization-based therapy (MBT) and theory is organized, refers to the capacity to meaningfully reflect on the mind of others as well as the self. In this introductory article to the special issue, we begin by discussing the need for and nature of translational research. We contend that translational research in mental health and personality disorder, in particular, lags behind that of other medical disorders because of the challenges inherent in meeting translational criteria. We discuss these criteria and we demonstrate the potential of the construct of mentalizing to meet translational criteria in the context of BPD. This article thereby provides the context for the other 3 papers in this special issue which each represent a different point along the translational spectrum. In all, our aim is to provide a foundation for the further evaluation of the usefulness and potential of mentalizing as translational construct in the context of BPD. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).