Perspectives on Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Mentalization-Based Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder: Same, Different, Complementary?

Abstract

Current evidence suggests that individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are likely to benefit from specialized, or BPD-specific, treatments. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and mentalization-based treatment (MBT) are currently the most intensively researched BPD treatments. Reviewing the current research, this paper highlights similarities and differences between the two treatments, and discusses possible ways they could complement each other. As the effectiveness of specialized treatments for BPD in general has been determined with some certainty, research now tends towards individualized approaches, identifying predictors of optimal treatment response. However, it is still to be settled who might profit from a combination of or sequential treatment with DBT and MBT.

Clinical trials in personality disorders: Recommendations for study design and conduct.

“…Since specialists’ treatment is widely unavailable even in well-developed countries (Hutsebaut et al, 2020), calls have been brought forward to concentrate more on the essentials of successful treatments, to enhance the standards of general care for persons affected by PDs (Choi-Kain et al, 2017; Stoffers-Winterling, Storebø, Simonsen et al, 2022). Therefore, more thorough research is needed to better understand the very essential treatment factors are, and how they can practically be transferred into clinical practice, specifically to those who are not specialists in PD treatment.…”

The Psychotherapy Practice of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Group Skills Training in Indonesia: An Indonesian Language Module Development

“…It includes four components: individual therapy, group skills training, telephone coaching in case of crisis, and the therapist being part of a consultation team. 10 Practicing DBT therapy groups for BPD in community settings comes with its own set of challenges. This is especially true considering that individuals often engage in self-medication without adequate family support, making it difficult to maintain consistent attendance at therapy sessions for patients with BPD.…”