Which PD is commonly treated with Schema Therapy approaches focusing on changing maladaptive schemas?

• A. Narcissistic Personality Disorder
• B. Avoidant Personality Disorder
• C. Borderline Personality Disorder
• D. Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

Answer: (C)

Schema therapy targets deep patterns called early maladaptive schemas that shape how people think, feel, and cope long after childhood. These schemas drive intense emotions, unstable self-image, and chaotic relationships—features that are central to Borderline Personality Disorder. The approach blends cognitive, experiential, and behavioral techniques to help someone recognize these enduring patterns, confront them through imagery and chair work, and shift coping modes toward healthier responses. Because Borderline Personality Disorder often involves schemas around abandonment, mistrust, emotional deprivation, and defectiveness, schema therapy has become a go-to treatment, showing strong evidence for reducing self-harm, impulsivity, and relationship turmoil. While schema-informed methods can be used with other personality disorders, the match is strongest, and the evidence most robust, for this disorder.