Treatment in mental health services

1.30 pm Coffee, registration and Viewing of Posters (closing date for poster entries 13th March 2026) 

2.00 pm
The Rise of Neuromodulation in Psychiatry: Insights from Pennine Care’s rTMS Service"
Dr Micheal Kurkar, Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Lead for Pennine Care TMS Service

2.45 pm 
Lecture theme:  Disease Modifying Therapies in Dementia
Dr Ross Dunne, Clinical Lead, brainHealth Manchester Clinic and Later Life Psychiatrist, GMMH

3.30 pm
Coffee break

3.50 pm
History and Psychodynamics of Borderline Personality Disorder
Dr Mark L Ruffalo, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Central Florida College of Medicine and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine

Talk synopsis:

This lecture traces the historical development of borderline personality disorder (BPD) from its early psychoanalytic origins to contemporary diagnostic formulations, highlighting its roots in concepts such as borderline states, pseudoneurotic schizophrenia, and borderline personality organization. It then examines major object relations approaches to BPD, with particular focus on Otto Kernberg's transference-focused psychotherapy and Gerald Adler's work on aloneness and the need-fear dilemma. Finally, the talk introduces paradox and double-bind communication as organizing principles of borderline psychopathology, demonstrating how contradictory relational patterns shape clinical presentations and therapeutic challenges.

Learning points:

• Understand the historical evolution of BPD, from early psychoanalytic descriptions to its formal inclusion in modern diagnostic systems.
• Describe key object relations models of borderline pathology, including identity diffusion, primitive defenses, and transference dynamics.
• Recognize paradox and double-bind communication as central mechanisms in BPD, informing both clinical formulation and therapeutic technique.

4.35 pm
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CPD certificates will be awarded to all attendees.