Sidika McNeil
York University, Canada
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Neurochem Neuropharm
Background: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental illness that seriously impacts a persons' ability to regulate emotions, maintain healthy relationships, and more. The current treatment style for this disorder is dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), which focuses on creating and facilitating ways for those who suffer from BPD to cope with the negative stressors of life. Once in treatment, it is a common requirement for patients to abstain from any unauthorized substance use. This does not take into account that people diagnosed with BPD often suffer from co-occurring disorders such as substance use disorder (SUD) and other mood disorders, making it hard for them to engage with the treatment style properly. Cognitive analytical therapy (CAT) focuses on delving into the past to find the root causes of an issue to create coping strategies. Finally, harm reduction is a type of therapy used to aid patients in lowering the use of substances without complete cessation. Hypothesis: The research proposed will show that CAT and harm reduction will help patients mitigate the usage of substances and mood disorders as it mimics symptoms of PTSD Methods: With the recruitment of 30 DSM-5 diagnosed BPD young adults, I will conduct an experimental design where self-reports, individual and group therapy will be utilized and analyzed to test results. Implications: This research is essential as it will show that CAT would need to be implemented as a source of treatment for patients struggling with co-morbid disorders before DBT for DBT to be effective.
Sidika McNeil is currently studying psychology with a geared interest towards abnormal and personality psychology, Sidika McNeil s currently researching multiple different aspects of what can contribute to mental illness, and disorders. She is currently studying at York and researching the different domains and theories that contribute to borderline personality disorder.
