- Can You Treat Behavior Without Knowing It’s Cause?
QUESTION:
Dr. Heller,
If someone has behavior problems, mood swings, lying when truth is better, doing something even when they know it goes against their values, cheating, can you treat the behaviors without knowing what causes the behaviors?
ANSWER:
The obvious answer is that it depends. Mood swings are almost invariably a medical problem. Sometimes lying is done when the individual feels so bad that protecting against the fear is crucial. Sometimes the individual doesn’t interpret reality correctly and seems to be lying. If the BPD is present, it needs to be treated medically first. I believe strongly that the BPD is a medical problem that needs to be treated medically. There are some “behavioral” schools of therapy that concentrate on behavior rather than the causes.
