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For Patients In NYC Dialectical Behavior Therapy Can Be Life Altering

By Joyce Sanders


Countless people suffer from one or more forms of mental illness. Many tend to hurt themselves, others are chronically suicidal and many others display unacceptable behavioural patterns. Yet others abuse substances and behave in a destructive manner. These sufferers have always been excluded from society. They are seen as disturbed individuals that behave in a disruptive manner because they want to do so. In NYC dialectical behavior therapy, DBT, has helped countless patients to make positive changes in their lives.

DBT is the brain child of Marsha Linehan from the Washington University. She first developed the technique to treat patients with borderline personality disorders and suicidal tendencies. Soon, however, clinical studies showed that this treatment method is also highly effective for patients suffering from a variety of other mental problems. Those with eating disorders and severe mood swings, for example, have benefited from DBT. Even people that were traumatised by sexual abuse can be helped.

DBT is a fusion of standard cognitive techniques that are used to help patients regulate their emotions. However, these techniques are augmented by further methods derived from meditative Buddhist practices. Patients are introduced to the concepts of distress tolerance, mental awareness and acceptance. Clinical tests have shown that this combination of treatment techniques produce extremely positive results with fewer patients attempting suicide or self harm and a much lower drop out rate from treatment programs.

There are two components in every DBT program. Firstly, patients attend a psychotherapy session each week. In between sessions, patients can contact the therapist at any time. During these sessions patients are helped to examine the underlying reasons for their destructive behaviour. They also learn how to cope with or avoid situations that can be distressing and they are lead towards devising ways in which they can improve their own lives.

The second components of DBT is weekly group sessions. Sessions generally last two and a half hours. Patients are encouraged to interact with each other and to share their emotions. Patients are also equipped with skills on coping with coping with distress, regulating and controlling their emotions and how to face reality. A high emphasis is also placed on teaching patients to develop effective interpersonal skills.

The length of a treatment program will depend solely on the progress that the patients makes and the severity of the disorders that he suffers from. Many patients refuse to admit that they are suffering from one or more disorders that render them unable to function within society. In such cases treatment is extremely difficult. Some practitioners argue that some patients need to be forced into treatment.

DBT has critics. These critics argue that not enough research have been done. More importantly, they say that very little has been done to study the long term effects of DBT treatment programs. There is therefore no proof that the treatment is effective after the program finishes. Critics also say that programs tend to focus on one particular disorder while patients normally suffer from more than one ailment.

Even in this enlightened age many people do not understand the pain and suffering endured by those with mental disorders. They are shunned and avoided, thereby only making the situation much worse. With DBT sufferers can learn how to take control of their lives and how to overcome the disabling effects of their behaviour.




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