Can DBT Work To Reduce Self-Cutting Episodes?
QUESTION: Dear Dr. Heller, In this case it is attributed to Borderline Personality (Traits). Luvox in the A.M. and clonazepam 1mg twice a day. In addition, my daughter has entered a DBT: Dialectic Behavior Training program. Have you any experience with DBT? ANSWER: I’ve seen some BPD patients who have been through DBT. Some were helped, some weren’t. It’s a very intensive psychotherapy approach that I believe would be phenomenally effective when combined with the medication approach I’ve found effective and has been documented in the literature. Dysphoria (anxiety, rage, depression and despair) is a horribly painful experience. Borderlines do what works to stop it, whether by cutting, eating boxes of donuts, driving fast, using drugs, etc. In fact we all self mutilate when the neurological sensation is unbearable – such as with mosquito bites or fire. DBT emphasizes a cognitive approach to not cut. I believe in using as needed medications for these dysphoria spells. Haldol 2mg / Tegret
