Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Suicidal and other self-destructive behaviors may be treated with DBT. It teaches patients how to cope with harmful behaviors and how to modify them.

The term "dialectical" refers to the premise that combining two opposites in treatment, acceptance and change, brings greater outcomes than each one working alone. The focus on acceptance of a patient's experience as a method for therapists to reassure them and balance the work needed to eliminate harmful behaviors is one of DBT's distinguishing features. DBT is effective for persons with borderline personality disorder, eating disorders, addictions, and thoughts of self-harm or suicide because it teaches them how to control and modify undesirable habits. Its main goals are to teach people how to live in the now, develop healthy stress coping mechanisms, regulate their emotions, and improve their interpersonal connections.