How DBT Is Changing The Way We Treat Mental Illness

The past few decades have seen huge improvements in the treatment of mental health issues, but there are still many people who don’t get the help they need and deserve. One of the main reasons why it’s so hard to treat people with mental health problems is that we’re still stuck on outdated methods like psychoanalysis, drug therapy, and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). But one new treatment called dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) has started to show great results in helping people with suicidal thoughts, self-harm behaviours, and many other issues related to mental illness.

What is Dialectical Behaviour Therapy?

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on the idea of mindfulness. It was developed in the late 1980s by Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., as a way to treat women who had borderline personality disorder, but it has since been adapted and widely used to help people with other mental illnesses.

It’s important to know that there are four different components of DBT: Cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectics, emotion regulation skills training, and mindfulness skills training. And these components all work together to provide an effective treatment for some mental health disorders.

How Does DBT Help?

DBT’s four modules are: Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotional Regulation and Interpersonal Effectiveness. These modules teach you how to be more aware of your thoughts and emotions in the present moment, how to calm yourself down when upset or anxious, how to avoid impulsively reacting to situations and how to communicate with other people in a productive way.

DBT is most helpful for people who have difficulty regulating their emotions, experiencing negative self-talk or who are prone towards anxiety or depression.

The History of DBT

The development of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) can be attributed to psychiatrist Dr. Marsha Linehan who was looking for a new way to treat chronically suicidal women. She found that her clients, when given the opportunity to participate in an ongoing dialectical behaviour therapy group, had less suicide attempts and fewer hospitalisations than those who were not. Additionally, these women reported higher levels of satisfaction with their lives and greater feelings of emotional well-being.

Dr. Linehan’s work on this type of psychotherapy continued for more than two decades until she finally published the first manual for treating borderline personality disorder (BPD) with DBT in 1993 ̶ which has now been used successfully all over the world ̶ including here at our own facility!

Applying the Skills from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a treatment model for mental health disorders that combines cognitive behavioural therapy and other therapeutic approaches. The goal of this therapy is to teach people with mental illness how to control their emotions, improve their relationships and find a sense of inner peace.

The skills in this type of therapy include:

• Mindfulness – being aware in the present moment without judgement or reactivity
• Distress Tolerance – tolerance for emotional pain and distress, including uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, without trying to avoid them or make them go away by using harmful substances or behaviours
• Interpersonal Effectiveness – communicating assertively while respecting oneself and others