Dawson suggests that many of the worst behaviours of borderline patients are essentially iatrogenic. He offers a set of 23 guidelines to help therapists manage the therapeutic relationship with these patients, e.g. suicide or other self destructive activity should be disavowed as legitimate interactional currency. He says that if self harming behaviour does occur, the therapist should consider the possibility that the therapeutic relationship is provoking the behaviour. (8 refs.)