BorderlineCentral
Your One Stop Source For Information On
Borderline Personality Disorder

Web www.borderlinecentral.com

Does Your Loved One Have Borderline Personality Disorder?
Discover how to cope and deal with your loved one's Borderline Personality Disorder.
Click here for FREE information.
 

Do You Have Borderline Personality Disorder?
Discover how to cope and deal with your Borderline Personality Disorder disorder.
Click here for FREE information.
 

Child With Borderline Personality Disorder?
Learn How to REALLY Help and Support Your Child.
Click here for FREE information.
 

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Helps Borderline Personality Disorder

According to findings published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, women with Borderline Personality Disorder who received a form of therapy called Dialectical Behavioral Therapy were half as likely to attempt suicide as patients who were treated otherwise. The patients who received Dialectical Behavior Therapy were also less likely to go to an Emergency Room for suicidal behavior or to be hospitalized for psychiatric problems, according to the study of 101 women, aged 18 to 45, who had Borderline Personality Disorder.

The women who received Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, according to this published study, were also less likely to switch therapists or to drop out of treatment.

The July 14, 2006, issue of HealthDay News reported that an estimated 5.8 million to 8.7 million Americans, mostly women, suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder, which is marked by symptoms of emotional instability, difficulty in maintaining close interpersonal relationships, eating disorders, uncertainty about self and life, impulsivity, and addictive behaviors, among several other symptoms. People with Borderline Personality Disorder also have a high suicide rate.

A new University of Washington study reported that because Dialectical Behavior Therapy balances change and acceptance, it is the most effective treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder compared to traditional forms of therapy. Dialectical Behavior Therapy was first developed at the University of Washington by Marsha Linehan, a psychology professor at the University.

Half the women in the study were assigned to therapists trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy. They received individual weekly sessions of psychotherapy and weekly group skills training, and also had telephone access to their therapist for a year.

The other women in the study were assigned to therapists who provided them the type and amount of therapy the therapist believed was best suited to each patient. Both groups of women in the study were treated for a year and then additionally followed for another year to determine the effects of the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.

"People with Borderline Personality Disorder have difficulty regulating their emotion and their lives, so Dialectical Behavior Therapy is designed to help clients build a life worth living. Not only do they attach to us, we attach to them," study author Marsha Linehan said in a prepared statement.

A study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) found that Dialectical Behavior Therapy reduced suicide attempts by half compared with other types of therapy available in the community in patients with Borderline Personality Disorder. It excelled at reducing use of Emergency Room and inpatient services, and also more than halved therapy dropout rates compared to the mostly traditional approaches, reported Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., University of Washington, and colleagues in the July 2006 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

About the Author

David Oliver is the founder of BorderlineCentral.com a one stop source of information on how to cope and deal with borderline personality disorder.

Back to Article List

If you are in a crisis please call:
1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Special Survey For Those
Who Are Caring For Someone With
Borderline Personality Disorder

3 Steps to Wealth, Success and True Happiness
Click here to discover the self help formula that can make money, help weight loss, heal relationships and much MUCH more.

More Love, Money, Confidence and Inner Peace
Click here for more information.

Improve Your Emotional Health
Reduce Your Stress Levels
Increase Your Brain Power
Click here for more information.