Mentalization-Based Treatment

Mentalization-based treatment, or mentalization-based therapy (MBT), is an integrative form of psychotherapy bringing together aspects of psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, systemic and ecological approaches. It was developed and manualized by Peter Fonagy and Anthony Bateman for individuals with borderline personality disorder, some of whom suffer from disorganized attachment and failed to develop a robust capacity for mentalization, the process by which people implicitly and explicitly interpret the actions of themselves and others as meaningful based on intentional mental states. The object of treatment is for patients to increase their mentalization capacity, improving affect regulation and reducing suicidality and self-harm while strengthening interpersonal relationships, and a version of the treatment has also been developed for individuals with antisocial personality disorder, delivered primarily in a group setting.