The Relevance of Generalist Approaches to Early Intervention for Personality Disorder

Significant gains have been made in the treatment of personality disorder among young people. However, effect sizes for evidence-based treatments have been modest, and emerging evidence suggests the potential of generalist approaches to improve outcomes in this population. The aim of this review was to highlight how generalist approaches such as good psychiatric management for adolescents (GPM-A) hold promise for early intervention for personality disorders among young people. The authors discuss recent advances in clinical understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of personality disorder among youths and demonstrate how these advances align with GPM-A. Specifically, the authors show how several of GPM-A’s guiding principles—most notably the need for access, common-factor approaches, and a focus on interpersonal hypersensitivity and restoring general functioning—align with these advances. This review suggests that GPM-A provides a timely and promising framework for innovating early interventions for personality disorder among young people.