Dialectical Behavior Therapy Group Skills Training for Bipolar Disorder

Abstract

There is growing evidence that the capacity for emotion regulation is compromised in individuals with bipolar disorder. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), an empirically supported treatment that specifically targets emotion dysregulation, may be an effective adjunct treatment for improving emotion regulation and residual mood symptoms in patients with bipolar disorder. In this open, proof-of-concept pilot study, 37 participants engaged in a 12-week DBT group skills training program, learning mindfulness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance skills. Repeated measures mixed models revealed skill acquisition in the areas of mindfulness, emotion regulation and distress tolerance, as well as improved psychological well-being and decreased emotion reactivity. The results of this study support a burgeoning literature that DBT is a feasible adjunct intervention for patients with bipolar disorder.

Dialectical behavior therapy-based psychological intervention for woman in late pregnancy and early postpartum suffering from COVID-19: a case report

“…Effectiveness of current intervention was supported by the reduction in HAMD-17, HAMA, and MADRS scales as well as positive feedback of alleviated symptoms of depression and anxiety reported by the patient. This result echoed previous research showing that DBT techniques were effective for reducing intensity of depressive moods and anxious states (Forman et al, 2007;Harley et al, 2008;Steil et al, 2011;Lothes et al, 2014;Song and Lindquist, 2015;Fassbinder et al, 2016;Eisner et al, 2017). An additional benefit of this effective psychological intervention is that prescription of antidepressant or anxiolytics was avoided.…”

“…Emotion regulation training resulted in the decrease of depressive and anxiety symptoms in a sample of university students (Fassbinder et al, 2016). Acquisition of distress tolerance skills significantly improved the psychological well-being and reduced emotion reactivity among participants with bipolar disorder (Eisner et al, 2017). A similar DBT-informed psychological program significantly decreased symptoms of hopelessness, depression, anxiety, and perceived levels of suffering in a sample of hospitalized participants (Lothes et al, 2014).…”

“…Dialectical refers to the balance of change and acceptance in coping with mental disturbance. The four modules of DBT, i.e., mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, were proved to significantly alleviate negative emotion and relief distress from negative thoughts (Lothes et al, 2014;Song and Lindquist, 2015;Fassbinder et al, 2016;Eisner et al, 2017). Compared with other psychological interventions, DBT concentrates more on the here-and-now, which is more useful for patients confronting intense negative moods and thoughts.…”

Psychological therapy for mood instability within bipolar spectrum disorder: a single-arm feasibility study of a dialectical behaviour therapy-informed approach

“…Ethics approval and consent to participate Ethical approval was granted by the UK National Research Ethics Service, NRES Committee South West-Frenchay (ref: [14]/SW/1136). Written, informed consent was obtained in person by a study researcher prior to the baseline eligibility and assessment interview.…”

“…This suggests that bespoke development and testing of this approach in this population is required. Several studies have examined modified versions of DBT as an intervention for bipolar disorder with encouraging results [14][15][16][17]; however, none has been fully powered randomised controlled trials in adults, none has specifically selected those with IMI and none has included individuals across the full bipolar spectrum. In response, we have developed a DBT-informed therapy programme adapted for IMI (the ThrIVe-B programme).…”