A case study of an extremely violent serial rapist with borderline personality disorder in remission.
OBJECTIVE
To provide evidence that some borderline patients with poor prognosis can obtain complete remission.


METHODS
Case of a violent rapist with borderline personality disorder in remission is reported. An attempt was made to reveal the mechanism of recovery in this forensic patient who initially was assessed as psychotherapeutically untreatable.


RESULTS
Psychotherapeutic effects and favourable psychosocial factors such as successful college graduation, increased social-emotional capacities and valuable new relationships did also play a very important role in this remission process.


CONCLUSIONS
Controlled studies are necessary to elucidate the mechanism of recovery among criminal patients with borderline personality disorder in order to provide adequate treatment programmes and to construct more reliable prediction methods for prognosis and reoffending.
Martens
W H J
WH
W. Kahn Institute of Theoretical Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Utrecht, The Netherlands. wimmartens@netscape.net
D000328:Adult; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011379:Prognosis; D011613:Psychotherapy; D011902:Rape / Q000523:psychology*; D012008:Recurrence; D012919:Social Behavior; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology*
D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents