MBT Duration — MRCPsych Paper B MCQ

Instant feedback + full explanation. One question, done properly.

ModeratePsychotherapyMBT DurationMRCPsych Paper B

A 28-year-old man who meets criteria for borderline personality disorder has been offered the standard adult mentalisation-based therapy (MBT) programme. He asks how long the planned course of treatment usually lasts. Which is the best answer?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: E — 18 months

The correct answer is E: 18 months. Standard adult MBT for borderline personality disorder is a structured, time-limited programme, typically combining individual and group therapy over 18 months. Some services provide an introductory psychoeducational phase before the main treatment, but this does not make MBT an open-ended therapy. Twelve weeks is more consistent with a brief introductory intervention rather than the complete programme, while 6 months is shorter than the standard MBT course. Three years is unnecessarily prolonged, and the claim that there is no predefined duration is inconsistent with the manualised programme. Local adaptations may vary, but 18 months is the expected MRCPsych answer for standard MBT.

Reference: Royal College of Psychiatrists, Personality disorder, section 'Mentalisation Based Therapy (MBT)', current live resource checked 2026. https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-health/mental-illnesses-and-mental-health-problems/personality-disorder