Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Borderline Personality Disorder

What is BPD?

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a complex psychological disorder characterized by pervasive difficulties with interpersonal relationships, emotion dysregulation, impulsivity, recurrent suicide attempts, and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI; American Psychological Association, 2000). It is estimated that up to 5% of individuals in the general population, and 40% of individuals in inpatient psychiatric populations have BPD. In addition, BPD has a large human cost; approximately 84% of individuals with BPD engage in NSSI, and 75% attempt suicide at least once. Thus, individuals with BPD represent a suffering community in high need of effective and interventions.

Prominent theories of BPD propose that emotion dyregulation is the core of the disorder, and that the behaviours associated with BPD (NSSI, impulsivity) are thus conceptualized as either natural outcomes of emotion dysregulation or function to regulate the dysregulated state. In the BESTLab we are committed do clarifying the different features associated with emotion dysregulation in order to help isolate the factors that maintain BPD and, ultimately, develop and improve treatments designed to treat the disorder.

What is DBT?

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a cognitive-behavioural treatment that was originally developed to treat suicidal behaviour, and has since evolved as an empirically-supported treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). It is useful for individuals who have difficulties regulating their emotions, meaning they find that their negative emotions increase quickly, are often particularly intense, and last for a long time. These intense emotions often occur in important relationships, such as those with friends, family, and romantic partners.

DBT is based on dialectical philosophy, meaning that it embraces two seemingly opposed ideas. The first idea is clients' acceptance of their present moment experience, and the second is a commitment to change. The acceptance-based tools are derived from zen practice and the change-based tools are based on principles of behaviour therapy.

The overarching goal of DBT is to help individuals obtain a life worth living. By employing a balance of acceptance and change, clients are taught to accept their experience and emotions, while simultaneously learning and strengthening behavioral skills to work towards their goals. DBT is a collaborative therapy (i.e., emphasizing the relationship between clients and therapists) with principles nested within a compassionate framework.

Watch this video for description of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)