How to Mitigate Risk in the Treatment of Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder

Clinicians treating patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) experience concerns about risk for adverse events that can lead to litigation or complaints to administrative boards. This paper’s goal is to outline steps to ensure the safety of both the patient and clinician.

Review of available data confirms that psychiatry is a subspeciality with relatively low risk for malpractice litigation, but high risk for complaints to administrative agencies. Examination of litigation and complaints suggests that familiar challenges in work with patients with BPD are frequently cited. Risk management considerations have been impacted in recent years by changes in psychiatric training, health care delivery, and regulations about patient information transparency. Concurrently, empirically validated treatments for BPD have been refined and disseminated.

Clinicians can address safety concerns by adapting established risk management guidance with an appreciation of key elements of BPD.