Dialectical Behaviour Therapy

2018 ◽  
pp. 2-20
Author(s):  
Michaela A. Swales
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Clinical Features ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Adult Women ◽  
Behaviour Therapy ◽  
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy ◽  
Distinctive Features ◽  
Theoretical Foundations

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) synthesizes principles from behaviourism, Zen, and dialectics. Originally developed to address the comprehensive problems of adult women with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and repetitive suicidal and self-harming behaviours, the flexibility of its principle-driven approach has led to its deployment in treating a wider range of client groups and in more varied settings than was originally conceptualized. This chapter begins by briefly describing the origins of DBT and orients the reader to the handbook by describing distinctive features of the treatment in terms of its theoretical foundations, structure, and clinical features. Developments over the last 25 years in the evidence-base, adaptations, and implementation of DBT and where these are addressed in the Handbook are subsequently outlined.

scholarly journals Lessons from an Australian community dialectical behaviour therapy programme for borderline personality disorder

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-16
Author(s):  
Catherine Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorders ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Behaviour Therapy ◽  
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy ◽  
Australian Community ◽  
The Uk

In 2003, the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) published guidelines for the development of services for people with personality disorders (NIMHE, 2003), prompting community mental health teams (CMHTs) to reassess their service provision for this patient group. The guidelines did not recommend any particular treatment approach, but CMHTs were encouraged to develop specialist programmes. For many CMHTs the focus has been on borderline personality disorder, as it is one of the most prevalent personality disorders seen in adult mental health services and has high costs for both the patient and the service (Moran, 2002). The evidence base for which treatment may be most effective within the community remains small, however, and this has left many CMHTs unclear regarding a suitable programme. Here I will outline a CMHT-based dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) programme operating in Western Australia and reflect on why I feel it is an option that CMHTs in the UK looking to develop their service should consider.

A randomised trial of dialectical behaviour therapy and the conversational model for the treatment of borderline personality disorder with recent suicidal and/or non-suicidal self-injury: An effectiveness study in an Australian public mental health service

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (10) ◽  
pp. 1020-1034
Author(s):  
Carla J Walton ◽  
Nick Bendit ◽  
Amanda L Baker ◽  
Gregory L Carter ◽  
Terry J Lewin
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Randomised Trial ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Individual Therapy ◽  
Behaviour Therapy ◽  
Psychotherapeutic Treatment ◽  
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy ◽  
Self Injury

Objectives: Borderline personality disorder is a complex mental disorder that is associated with a high degree of suffering for the individual. Dialectical behaviour therapy has been studied in the largest number of controlled trials for treatment of individuals with borderline personality disorder. The conversational model is a psychodynamic treatment also developed specifically for treatment of borderline personality disorder. We report on the outcomes of a randomised trial comparing dialectical behaviour therapy and conversational model for treatment of borderline personality disorder in a routine clinical setting. Method: Participants had a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder and a minimum of three suicidal and/or non-suicidal self-injurious episodes in the previous 12 months. Consenting individuals were randomised to either dialectical behaviour therapy or conversational model and contracted for 14 months of treatment ( n = 162 commenced therapy). Dialectical behaviour therapy involved participants attending weekly individual therapy, weekly group skills training and having access to after-hours phone coaching. Conversational model involved twice weekly individual therapy. Assessments occurred at baseline, mid-treatment (7 months) and post-treatment (14 months). Assessments were conducted by a research assistant blind to treatment condition. Primary outcomes were change in suicidal and non-suicidal self-injurious episodes and severity of depression. We hypothesised that dialectical behaviour therapy would be more effective in reducing suicidal and non-suicidal self-injurious behaviour and that conversational model would be more effective in reducing depression. Results: Both treatments showed significant improvement over time across the 14 months duration of therapy in suicidal and non-suicidal self-injury and depression scores. There were no significant differences between treatment models in reduction of suicidal and non-suicidal self-injury. However, dialectical behaviour therapy was associated with significantly greater reductions in depression scores compared to conversational model. Conclusion: This research adds to the accumulating body of knowledge of psychotherapeutic treatment of borderline personality disorder and supports the use of both dialectical behaviour therapy and conversational model as effective treatments in routine clinical settings, with some additional benefits for dialectical behaviour therapy for persons with co-morbid depression.

THE TREATMENT OF DELIBERATE SELF-HARM IN BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER USING DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOUR THERAPY: A PILOT STUDY IN A HIGH SECURITY HOSPITAL

2001 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail Low ◽  
David Jones ◽  
Conor Duggan ◽  
Mick Power ◽  
Andrew MacLeod
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Suicide Ideation ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
Behaviour Therapy ◽  
Deliberate Self Harm ◽  
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy ◽  
Self Harm

Deliberate self-harm (DSH) presents a significant health problem, especially as treatments have not been particularly successful in reducing repetition. Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT; Linehan, 1993) is one approach that has reported some success in reducing self-harm rates in borderline personality disorder patients, who self-harm frequently, though it remains largely untested outside its original setting. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of DBT in self-harming women in an institutional setting in the United Kingdom where self-harm is common. Female patients at Rampton Hospital who were displaying self-harming behaviour and met criteria for borderline personality disorder (N = 10) participated in the full one-year treatment package of DBT. Patients were assessed on self-harm rates and on a number of psychological variables, pre-, during- and post-therapy, including a 6-month follow-up. There was a significant reduction in DSH during therapy, which was maintained at 6-month follow-up. This was paralleled by a reduction in dissociative experiences and an increase in survival and coping beliefs, alongside improvements in depression, suicide ideation, and impulsiveness. The findings are preliminary but the results suggest that DBT might provide an effective treatment for severe self-harm in institutional settings, and also highlight some of the psychological mechanisms that might mediate these improvements in self-harming behaviour.

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