Mary C. Zanarini | |
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Born | July 25, 1946 |
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | Psychologist, academic |
Academic background | |
Alma mater |
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Academic work | |
Institutions | Harvard University &McLean Hospital |
Mary C. Zanarini (born July 25,1946) is an American psychologist and academic. She is a professor of psychology at the Department of Psychiatry of Harvard Medical School and the creator of the McLean Study of Adult Development (MSAD) at the McLean Hospital. Much of Zanarini's work has focused on borderline personality disorder (BPD). [1]
Zanarini was born on July 25,1946. [2] In 1978,she received her Bachelor of Arts (AB) from Harvard College. [1] She earned her Masters of Education (EdM) in 1979 and her Doctor of Education (EdD) in 1987 from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. [1] From 1987–1988,she completed her clinical and research fellowship in psychology at McLean Hospital. [1] She became a licensed psychologist in Massachusetts in 1992. [1] [3]
Zanarini's work in psychiatry began to gain prominence with her studies on the longitudinal course of borderline personality disorder (BPD). [1] Her research has contributed to demonstrating that,contrary to previous beliefs,many patients with BPD can achieve significant long-term remission of symptoms. [4] She has spent her career studying the phenomenology and long-term course of borderline personality disorder,childhood experiences of adversity,and co-occurring disorders. [5] Additionally,Zanarini's work encompasses avoidant personality disorder. [6] She is the founding president of the North American Society for the Study of Personality Disorders (NASSPD). [5] [7]
She oversees a research program at McLean Hospital in Belmont,Massachusetts. [8] For over 10 years,Dr. Zanarini and her colleagues at McLean have followed approximately 300 former inpatients with borderline personality disorder. [9] During the course of this study,a large majority of patients achieved remission,while over half achieved recovery—no longer meeting diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder as well as achieving better social and occupational functioning. [9] [10] Zanarini's research found that four different psychotherapies (mentalization-based treatment,transference focused psychotherapy,dialectical behavior therapy,and schema-focused therapy) were effective in improving the severity of impulses and self-destructiveness of patients with BPD. [11]
Zanarini led the development of the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD),which is a commonly used test to screen for BPD, [12] and the Zanarini Rating Scale for Borderline Personality Disorder (ZAN-BPD),a standardized,diagnostic rating scale designed to measure the severity and changes of BPD over time. [13]
Zanarini is a well-published author—the 2nd most in BPD research over the past two decades—with 144 publications and an H-index of 80,including both books and journal papers. [14]
Borderline personality disorder (BPD),also known as emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD),is a personality disorder characterized by a pervasive,long-term pattern of significant interpersonal relationship instability,a distorted sense of self,and intense emotional responses. Individuals diagnosed with BPD frequently exhibit self-harming behaviours and engage in risky activities,primarily due to challenges regulating emotional states to a healthy,stable baseline. Symptoms such as dissociation,a pervasive sense of emptiness,and an acute fear of abandonment are prevalent among those affected.
Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a life-long pattern of exaggerated feelings of self-importance,an excessive need for admiration,and a diminished ability to empathize with other people's feelings. Narcissistic personality disorder is one of the sub-types of the broader category known as personality disorders. It is often comorbid with other mental disorders and associated with significant functional impairment and psychosocial disability.
Avoidant personality disorder (AvPD) or anxious personality disorder is a Cluster C personality disorder characterized by excessive social anxiety and inhibition,fear of intimacy,severe feelings of inadequacy and inferiority,and an overreliance on avoidance of feared stimuli as a maladaptive coping method. Those affected typically display a pattern of extreme sensitivity to negative evaluation and rejection,a belief that one is socially inept or personally unappealing to others,and avoidance of social interaction despite a strong desire for it. It appears to affect an approximately equal number of men and women.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based psychotherapy that began with efforts to treat personality disorders and interpersonal conflicts. Evidence suggests that DBT can be useful in treating mood disorders and suicidal ideation as well as for changing behavioral patterns such as self-harm and substance use. DBT evolved into a process in which the therapist and client work with acceptance and change-oriented strategies and ultimately balance and synthesize them—comparable to the philosophical dialectical process of thesis and antithesis,followed by synthesis.
Psychological pain,mental pain,or emotional pain is an unpleasant feeling of a psychological,non-physical origin. A pioneer in the field of suicidology,Edwin S. Shneidman,described it as "how much you hurt as a human being. It is mental suffering;mental torment." There is no shortage in the many ways psychological pain is referred to,and using a different word usually reflects an emphasis on a particular aspect of mind life. Technical terms include algopsychalia and psychalgia,but it may also be called mental pain,emotional pain,psychic pain,social pain,spiritual or soul pain,or suffering. While these clearly are not equivalent terms,one systematic comparison of theories and models of psychological pain,psychic pain,emotional pain,and suffering concluded that each describe the same profoundly unpleasant feeling. Psychological pain is widely believed to be an inescapable aspect of human existence.
Schizotypal personality disorder,also known as schizotypal disorder,is a cluster A personality disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) classification describes the disorder specifically as a personality disorder characterized by thought disorder,paranoia,a characteristic form of social anxiety,derealization,transient psychosis,and unconventional beliefs. People with this disorder feel pronounced discomfort in forming and maintaining social connections with other people,primarily due to the belief that other people harbor negative thoughts and views about them. Peculiar speech mannerisms and socially unexpected modes of dress are also characteristic. Schizotypal people may react oddly in conversations,not respond,or talk to themselves. They frequently interpret situations as being strange or having unusual meanings for them;paranormal and superstitious beliefs are common. Schizotypal people usually disagree with the suggestion that their thoughts and behaviors are a 'disorder' and seek medical attention for depression or anxiety instead.
In psychology,entitlement mentality is defined as a sense of deservingness or being owed a favor when little or nothing has been done to deserve special treatment.
Biosocial theory is a theory in behavioral and social science that describes personality disorders and mental illnesses and disabilities as biologically-determined personality traits reacting to environmental stimuli.
Mentalization-based treatment (MBT) is an integrative form of psychotherapy,bringing together aspects of psychodynamic,cognitive-behavioral,systemic and ecological approaches. MBT was developed and manualised by Peter Fonagy and Anthony Bateman,designed for individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Some of these individuals suffer from disorganized attachment and failed to develop a robust mentalization capacity. Fonagy and Bateman define mentalization as the process by which we implicitly and explicitly interpret the actions of oneself and others as meaningful on the basis of intentional mental states. An alternative and simpler definition is "Seeing others from the inside and ourselves from the outside." The object of treatment is that patients with BPD increase their mentalization capacity,which should improve affect regulation,thereby reducing suicidality and self-harm,as well as strengthening interpersonal relationships.
Transference focused psychotherapy (TFP) is a highly structured,twice-weekly modified psychodynamic treatment based on Otto F. Kernberg's object relations model of borderline personality disorder (BPD). It views the individual with borderline personality organization (BPO) as holding unreconciled and contradictory internalized representations of self and significant others that are affectively charged. The defense against these contradictory internalized object relations leads to disturbed relationships with others and with self. The distorted perceptions of self,others,and associated affects are the focus of treatment as they emerge in the relationship with the therapist (transference). The treatment focuses on the integration of split-off parts of self and object representations,and the consistent interpretation of these distorted perceptions is considered the mechanism of change.
Peter Fonagy,is a Hungarian-born British psychoanalyst and clinical psychologist. He studied clinical psychology at University College London. He is a Professor of Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Developmental Science Head of the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences at University College London,Chief Executive of the Anna Freud Centre,and a training and supervising analyst in the British Psycho-Analytical Society in child and adult analysis. His clinical interests center on issues of borderline psychopathology,violence,and early attachment relationships. His work attempts to integrate empirical research with psychoanalytic theory. He has published over 500 papers,and 270 chapters and has authored 19 and edited 17 books.
Personality disorders (PD) are a class of mental disorders characterized by enduring maladaptive patterns of behavior,cognition,and inner experience,exhibited across many contexts and deviating from those accepted by the individual's culture. These patterns develop early,are inflexible,and are associated with significant distress or disability. The definitions vary by source and remain a matter of controversy. Official criteria for diagnosing personality disorders are listed in the sixth chapter of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
The mainstay of management of borderline personality disorder is various forms of psychotherapy with medications being found to be of little use.
In personality pathology,dimensional models of personality disorders conceptualize personality disorders as qualitatively rather than quantitatively different from normal personality. They consist of extreme,maladaptive levels of certain personality characteristics. Within the context of personality psychology,a "dimension" refers to a continuum on which an individual can have various levels of a characteristic,in contrast to the dichotomous categorical approach in which an individual does or does not possess a characteristic. According to dimensional models personality disorders are classified according to which characteristics are expressed at which levels. This stands in contrast to the traditional categorical models of classification,which are based on the boolean presence or absence of symptoms and do not take into account levels of expression of a characteristic or the presence of any underlying dimension.
John Gunder Gunderson was a professor of psychiatry at Harvard University and a director at the Borderline center at McLean Hospital.
The International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders is an international learned society dedicated to promoting research on personality disorders. It was established in 1988 at the 1st International Congress on the Study of Personality Disorders. This event,held in Copenhagen,Denmark,also served as the ISSPD's first international conference. Theodore Millon,who played a key role in founding the ISSPD,served as its first president,and Erik Simonsen was its first general secretary and treasurer. Since 1989,its official journal has been the Journal of Personality Disorders,which is published on its behalf by Guilford Press.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a pervasive,long-term pattern of significant interpersonal relationship instability,a distorted sense of self,and intense emotional responses,which can be misdiagnosed. Misdiagnosis may involve erroneously assigning a BPD diagnosis to individuals not meeting the specific criteria or attributing an incorrect alternate diagnosis in cases where BPD is the accurate condition.
The Zanarini Rating Scale for Borderline Personality Disorder (ZAN-BPD) is a standardized,diagnostic rating scale designed to measure the severity and changes in the symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) over time. The assessment was developed by Mary Zanarini and her colleagues at McLean Hospital and released in 2003.
The McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD) is a 10-question self-report screening tool used to identify individuals who may warrant further evaluation for borderline personality disorder (BPD). The questionnaire asks individuals about the presence of symptoms they experience that are characteristic of BPD. The assessment was released in 2003 after being developed by Mary Zanarini and her colleagues at the McLean Hospital. It has since been translated into several languages,including Arabic,Finnish,French,Persian,and Urdu.