I would like to highlight another type of therapy that may not be familiar to people – dialectical behavior therapy, also known as DBT.
According to a page on the Psychology Today website, (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/dialectical-behavior-therapy), DBT is a way to provide individuals with new ways to manage painful emotions and decrease conflict in relationships. DBT focuses on four specific areas: 1. mindfulness to focus on improving an individual’s ability to accept and be present in the moment 2. distress tolerance to help individuals increase their tolerance of negative emotions instead of trying to escape from them 3. emotion regulation strategies to manage and change intense emotions that are causing issues in a person’s life 4. interpersonal effectiveness techniques that allow a person to communicate with others in a way that is assertive, maintains self-respect, and strengthens relationships.
DBT was originally created to help patients with borderline personality disorder. However, the use of DBT has expanded to include eating disorders, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, and depression. DBT typically includes both individual sessions and group sessions, both of which are used to help individuals learn and practice the skills used in DBT.
Although I have heard of DBT a few times in passing, this type of therapy is fairly new to me. I am glad that its use has expanded to several areas of mental health, including depression, and it appears to be yet another tool that can be used to help those affected with depression.
How about you? Are you familiar with DBT? If so, how has it worked for you? If you are just hearing about DBT for the first time, is this a therapy that you might consider? To me, the more options available for the treatment of depression can be a beneficial thing, and I encourage people to learn more about DBT.