[Application of dialectical behavior therapy as in-patient treatment for alcohol dependency]

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) was originally developed for suicidal female patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Meanwhile, DBT-based approaches to psychotherapy have also been successfully applied in other clinical groups. Previous studies of DBT in patients suffering from BPD and comorbid drug addiction are discussed, and an approach to DBT that has been devised by the authors for use in the treatment of alcoholics with comorbid BPD is described. As these patients have more severe clinical problems and less satisfactory treatment responses than do alcoholics without comorbid BPD, we must hope that this new approach will improve clinical outcomes in these severely ill patients.