MIND Talks: Psychedelic Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder | Dr. Rick Zeifman

MIND Talks: Dr. Rick Zeifman with Dr. Max Wolff

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe psychiatric condition characterised by behavioural and emotion dysregulation, disturbances in self-identity, and impaired social functioning. Evidence-based psychotherapies for BPD such as dialectical behaviour therapy can often reduce BPD symptoms, and have helped improve the lives of many patients. However, these treatments have important limitations and not all individuals benefit from them. Healthcare providers are often desperate to offer patients some form of treatment, which is illustrated by the fact that antidepressants and antipsychotics are frequently prescribed to BPD patients despite a lack of evidence supporting their efficacy for the treatment of BPD. In the light of these limitations, there seems to be a pressing need to explore novel treatments for BPD. In recent years, several early-stage clinical trials have provided evidence that psychedelic-assisted therapies may be effective for a number of difficult-to-treat psychiatric disorders, including treatment-resistant depression, substance use disorders, and psychological distress associated with life-threatening illness. These promising results raise the question of whether psychedelics could also be used for the treatment of BPD. But what psychological reasons are there to believe psychedelics might help BPD patients? What are the risks? What would psychedelic-assisted interventions for BPD look like? What research is needed before patients can be given access to these treatments? These and other exciting questions will be addressed in this conversation-based webinar with Rick Zeifman. Questions and comments by the audience will be welcome.

This event will be presented by Dr. Max Wolff, a clinical psychologist and member of a study team that is currently preparing a large-scale clinical trial of psilocybin-assisted therapy for treatment-resistant depression in Germany.  


Bio Rick Zeifman:

Richard Zeifman is a Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology at Ryerson University. His research focuses on (a) evidence-based interventions for highly suicidal individuals and (b) psychedelic therapy. Within the context of psychedelic therapy, his primary focus is on understanding how psychedelic therapy works (i.e., underlying mechanisms of change) and examining the effects of psychedelic therapy on suicidality. He is also contributing toward an upcoming clinical trial that will integrate cognitive processing therapy with MDMA for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.  


About the ZOOMING IN Webinar Series:

The ZOOMING IN webinar series at the MIND Academy features in-depth conversations with researchers and clinicians involved in the re-emerging field of psychedelic therapy and neighbouring disciplines.