Dialectical behavior therapy

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a form of psychotherapy developed by Marsha M. Linehan, a psychology researcher at the University of Washington. Linehan originally developed DBT to help people with borderline personality disorder (BPD).Linehan, M. M. & Dimeff, L. (2001). Dialectical Behavior Therapy in a nutshell , The California Psychologist, 34, 10-13.

DBT uses cognitive-behavioral techniques to help patients control their emotions and test what reality is to them. It also tests the patient's tolerance for distress, and tries to help them accept their situation and be aware of their feelings.

Linehan's ideas about how to be aware of feelings come from Buddhist meditation.  DBT may be the first therapy that has been shown to be effective in treating BPD.Kliem, S., Kröger, C. & Kossfelder, J. (2010).  (2010). Dialectical behavior therapy for borderline personality disorder: A meta-analysis using mixed-effects modeling. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78, 936-951. It can also help patients with autism spectrum mood problems, including self-injury.Brody, J. E. (2008, May 6). The growing wave of teenage self-harm. New York Times. Retrieved July 1, 2008. DBT may help victims of sexual abuse and people addicted to drugs.http://courses.washington.edu/chile08/Linehan4.pdf

 History 
In the early 1990s, Dr. Marsha Linehan developed an alternative therapy to treat her borderline personality disorder patients. Instead of having a one-way conversation with the patient, the therapist would engage them through the use of real world examples to elicit the desired responses. One by one, Linehan was able to teach her patients how to react differently in a variety of situations. This process removes the obstacles to treatment that had confused therapists treating suicidal patients. In a recent study, DBT has proven especially effective in reducing self-injurious behavior, suicide attempts and inpatient treatment days.

DBT has also been used to treat alcohol addiction and drug addiction.

References

Category:Borderline personality disorder