Dialectical behaviour therapy as a treatment for deliberate self-harm: Case studies from a high security psychiatric hospital population
Abstract
Deliberate self-harm has recently assumed increasing importance in outpatient clinics, accident and emergency units, and psychiatric settings. One approach that has been shown to be effective in randomly controlled clinical trials is Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT; Linehan, 1993). DBT is a cognitive-behavioural approach developed for Borderline Personality Disorder, the criteria of which include suicidal attempts, threats and gestures, as well as impulsive behaviour, including deliberate self-harm. We assessed the efficacy of DBT in a high security psychiatric setting, where deliberate self-harm is particularly common among the women patients. From the group of patients who participated in the therapy (N = 15), three cases were identified which illustrate the application of DBT, and which highlight specific strategies and their uses in different situations. Specific strategies which were most useful involved the skills training of Distress Tolerance, and Emotion Regulation. DBT is an holistic approach, addressing problematic thoughts as well as behaviour, and the package of skills taught can be considered particularly useful in regulating emotions and alleviating some of the distress experienced by individuals who engage in this behaviour. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
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Date
2001
Type
Article
Subject
Behaviour therapy, Borderline personality disorder, Self-injurious behaviour
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Citation
Low, G., Jones, D., Duggan, C., MacLeod, A. & Power, M. (2001). Dialectical behaviour therapy as a treatment for deliberate self-harm: Case studies from a high security psychiatric hospital population. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 8 (4), pp.288-300.