title: Mentalization-based treatment for psychosis: linking an attachment-based model to the psychotherapy for impaired mental state understanding in people with psychotic disorders.
abstract: Disturbances of mentalization have been increasingly associated with the symptoms and functional impairment of people with psychotic disorders. it has been proposed that psychotherapy designed to foster self and other understanding, such as mentalization-based treatment (mBt), may play an important part in facilitating recovery from psychosis. Here, we present an attachment-based understanding of mentalization impairments. We then outline a neuropsychological model that links disruptions of mentalization associated with disturbances in the caregiving environment to the pathophysiology of psychosis in genetically at-risk individuals. this is followed by an illustration of some of the core mBt techniques for the rehabilitation of the capacity to mentalize as applied to the treatment of a patient with a psychotic disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Boston, Mass., U.S.A. Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., U.S.A.
authors.forename: Benjamin K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Brent
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., U.S.A. Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., U.S.A.
authors.forename: Daphne J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Holt
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Boston, Mass., U.S.A. Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., U.S.A.
authors.forename: Matcheri S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Keshavan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Boston, Mass., U.S.A. Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., U.S.A. Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., U.S.A.
authors.forename: Larry J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Seidman
authors.affiliation: Psychoanalysis Unit, University College London, London, U.K.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fonagy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009769:Object Attachment; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D056345:Theory of Mind / Q000502:physiology*