Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline personality disorder is a severe mental health issue characterized by emotional dysfunction, persistent feelings of emptiness and relationship problems. According to the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder, BPD affects 14 million American adults at some point in their lives.

What Is BPD?

While our earliest understanding of BPD revolved around the idea that people with the disorder were on the “borderline” between psychosis and neurosis, we now know this assumption is inaccurate. A more apt term for BPD might be “emotional dysregulation,” since an inability to self-soothe is a hallmark of this form of mental illness.

When facing emotional upheavals, a person with BPD may engage in impulsive or risky behaviors to cope. Substance abuse, self-harm, violence, driving under the influence and binge eating are a few examples of activities you might try to temporarily feel better. The problem is that these behaviors make matters worse in the long run.

While our scientific knowledge of what causes BPD is still somewhat lacking compared to our understanding of other mental illnesses, many researchers believe this disorder has genetic and environmental components. Traumatic experiences in childhood or early adulthood may also play a role in whether someone eventually develops this disorder.

Evidence-Based Therapy for Treating BPD

While there’s no cure for borderline personality disorder, some treatment methods have proven to be highly effective. Dialectical behavioral therapy, pioneered by Dr. Marsha Linehan, is the first form of psychotherapy shown to successfully treat BPD in controlled clinical trials. A therapist with experience in using DBT to treat borderline personality disorder will teach you skills to decrease emotion dysregulation and unhealthy attempts to cope with strong emotions.

In your customized DBT program, your counselor might recommend a hybrid of group and individual therapy. They will also expect you to keep track of your symptoms and progress throughout therapy. You can learn four central skills in DBT.

• Mindfulness meditation: Your goal should be to live more fully in the present moment and observe experiences without judgment.
• Interpersonal effectiveness: Set reasonable boundaries, become more assertive and manage conflict in your relationships.
• Distress tolerance: Improve your coping skills and gain strategies for responding constructively.
• Emotional regulation: Interpret your feelings and find healthy, non-destructive ways to manage them.

How to Find a Therapist Specializing in DBT

If you have received a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, you can ask your health care provider or your state’s psychiatric association to refer you to a DBT specialist. You can also find an online list of therapists who have completed DBT-specific training offered by affiliates of the Linehan Institute or the University of Washington Behavioral Research & Therapy Clinics.

Dialectical behavioral therapy is one of the cutting-edge treatments we offer at Complete Harmony, a holistic, non-12-step drug and alcohol rehab program in California. Since BPD often co-occurs with substance abuse disorders and other mental health challenges, successful recovery requires treating both issues simultaneously. To learn more about achieving lasting recovery and learning to manage BPD symptoms, contact us today.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy as Treatment for Substance Misuse

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a technique that has shown great promise in the treatment of certain substance abuse disorders. Initially developed to help patients with compulsive patterns of self-harm, DBT has found new applications in drug and alcohol addiction recovery programs. At Complete Harmony, we employ DBT to help afflicted individuals relieve the underlying emotional imbalances and self-image issues that frequently accompany substance abuse.

Clinicians began to unlock the efficacy of DBT as a substance abuse treatment when they started to view drug and alcohol addiction as a psychological compulsion similar to those who engage in behaviors like self-mutilation. In both cases, patients turn to the problematic behavior as a means of dealing with feelings of shame, fear of abandonment, low self-esteem, and poor self-image. These feelings are often rooted in deep-seated emotional or psychological trauma, though genetic predisposition and other innate factors are also believed to play a role.

Complete Harmony’s DBT addiction treatment model proceeds through four discrete stages spread across 12 steps to help patients overcome drug and alcohol abuse while developing tools that promote long-term recovery.

DBT Addiction Treatment Programs at Complete Harmony
Our dialectical behavior therapy treatment protocol has been shown to be highly effective for patients with psychological profiles that include the following characteristics:

• Dramatic or violent mood swings
• Major depressive disorder & severe depression
• Self-harm or self-mutilation tendencies

The program uses clear, powerful strategies to help participants develop skills that enable them to overcome substance abuse while achieving better control of interpersonal relationships, mindfulness, emotional reactions, and ability to manage stress and distress. DBT begins with the simple recognition that positive change is needed to help the patient address both the acute and underlying issues that contribute to their problematic behaviors.

First, our counselors perform thorough evaluations that cover the patient's substance abuse history, health history, and psychological profile. From there, specific and individually tailored therapy objectives are identified, and patients begin treatment that ultimately leads to much higher levels of personal happiness and spiritual satisfaction.

If you would like to learn more about our 12-step alternatives, we invite you to contact a member of our medical or therapy team. Submit a confidential online inquiry, or call us toll-free at 866-930-4673—24 hours a day.