Integrated behavioral treatment of comorbid OCD, PTSD, and borderline personality disorder: A case report

According to critics of empirically supported treatments, comorbidity represents a significant barrier to the implementation of such interventions in standard clinical practice. Advocates of empirically supported treatment have noted that comorbid disorders can be addressed concurrently. There is, however, little guidance in the literature regarding implementation of concurrently delivered protocols. The present case report describes the successful treatment of a 43-year-old woman diagnosed with comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and borderline personality disorder. Treatment utilized a concurrent approach that integrated exposure and response prevention for OCD, exposure therapy for PTSD, and components of dialectical behavior therapy for borderline personality disorder. Both 12-month formal and 18-month informal follow-up assessment indicated that improvement was maintained after termination. Results suggest that integrated delivery of empirically supported interventions can be utilized to successfully treat complex, comorbid cases.