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A dialectical behavior therapy program for people with an eating disorder and borderline personality
Robert L Palmer1, Helen Birchall, Sadhana Damani
1Department of Psychiatry, Leicester Warwick Medical School, Brandon Mental Health Unit, Leicester General Hospital, Gwendolen Road, Leicester LE5 4PW, United Kingdom.
Objective:
To describe and evaluate a full dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) program for people with comorbid eating disorder and borderline personality disorder. The program included a novel skills training module written especially for eating-disordered patients.
Method:
The program was run for 18 months. Days in hospital and major acts of self-harm were counted for the 18 months before and after DBT.
Results:
There were no dropouts from the program. The patients seemed to benefit. Most patients were neither eating disordered nor self-harming at follow-up.
Discussion:
Full DBT is an expensive and demanding treatment but deserves consideration for patients with an eating disorder and co-morbid borderline personality disorder and self-harm. There is a need for a more systematic and thorough evaluation.