The contribution of interpersonal theory to personality disorder’s diagnosis and treatment

SUMMARY Despite the recent advances in its diagnosis (heralded by the revisions in ICD-11 and DSM-5) and the introduction of new approaches to treatment, managing personality disorder remains challenging to the psychiatric practitioner. I believe that one of the main reasons for this is that the condition lacks an overall theory that might guide practitioners in their assessment of it and what they might do to intervene. In this article, I suggest that interpersonal theory might be such a candidate, enabling practitioners to manage this condition more effectively. My aim is to provide a brief introduction to this theory in the hope that practitioners might be encouraged to explore its implications more fully.