Dialectical behaviour therapy for borderline personality disorder among adolescents and young adults: Pilot study, extending the research findings in new settings and cultures

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to investigate the feasibility and impact of dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) for patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) in a clinical outpatient setting. Eighteen clinicians were trained and supervised in using DBT. Twenty-seven female patients were assessed on a number of variables before the treatment, as well as 5 and 12 months after the start of the DBT. Despite some barriers, DBT could be implemented successfully, and the professionals reported increased competence 1 year after the start of the therapy. Low treatment dropout rates suggested that DBT was well accepted by the patients. One year after the start of treatment, the patients reported significant decrease on most variables measuring psychological distress and number of parasuicidal behaviours. The study provides preliminary support for the feasibility and impact of DBT in the outpatient treatment of BPD in a cultural setting outside the United States.

Keywords:

• Borderline personality disorder
• dialectic behaviour therapy
• implementation
• parasuicide

Acknowledgement

The authors wish to thank Elisabeth Welch for careful language editing of the revised version of this paper.