Are Shock Treatments Appropriate for the BPD?

Written by Dr. Leland Heller

QUESTION:

Dear Dr. Heller,

Hello. My younger brother (age 19) has been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. I learned today that he had "shock treatment" and will have 4 to 12 more "treatments." What do you think about this method of treatment? I thought it was a very dated concept! Thank you for your time and consideration.

DR. HELLER'S ANSWER:

ECT (electroshock therapy) can help with severe unrelenting depressions, at the cost of memory problems for a while. It's not outdated.

It's very unusual for borderlines to not respond to the Prozac/Tegretol combination, particularly if an occasional 3mg dose of Risperdal is added.

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