International Congress “Treating Personality Pathology in a Time of Change”

The 7th International Congress of the European Society for the Study of Personality Disorders (ESSPD) on “Treating Personality Pathology in a Time of Change” was held from 23 to 25 September 2024 in Antwerp, Belgium

The conference was attended by more than 700 participants, and the programme included lectures, roundtables, poster presentations and workshops on new approaches to treatment and work with people with borderline personality disorder and allied disorders. Part of the programme was also related to working with forensic patients.

The lecturers came from Europe, Canada, Chile, USA, Singapore, Australia.  

The rich programme has provided new insights and approaches to working with people with mental health issues, especially those with personality disorders. Since personality disorders are often present in probationers, it is important to understand and adapt in order to recognise their needs and apply a more individualised approach based on the specific needs. The new psychotherapy techniques and approaches presented, such as dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) and mentalisation-based therapy, are the present and the future, and can help reduce recidivism by improving emotional regulation and interpersonal skills. Acquiring and applying new skills and knowledge contributes to more efficient case management in probation, improvement of outcomes for clients and the community, but also helps in planning further development of the service with a view to improving and monitoring the latest approaches and trends in the field of mental health and preventing the recurrence of criminal behaviour.

The participation of Željka Knotek and Ester Brašnić in this conference was realised under the project "Strengthening the capacity and visibility of the prison and probation system", funded under the Bilateral Fund of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism.