Mindfulness training for borderline personality disorder: A systematic review of contemporary literature

Abstract

Mindfulness is a component of several psychotherapies. Nonetheless, its effectiveness in borderline personality disorder (BPD) management remains obscure. This systematic review examined the effect of mindfulness training in BPD patients. Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CAB Abstracts, Embase, MEDLINE and APA PsycInfo were searched until 30 June 2021. Five trials with 294 participants were included. Improvements were reported in participants' levels of impulsivity, in their emotion dysregulation patterns, in their attention skills and in their mindfulness-related capacities including decentering and nonjudging. The findings suggest that mindfulness training may be an effective tool for alleviating certain aspects of BPD symptomatology. More research is needed before definitive conclusions can be reached about the effectiveness of mindfulness training in the treatment of BPD patients, and this remains to be elucidated in larger structured clinical trials, with longer follow-ups.