The Effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy on Reducing Self-Harm and Improving Emotion Regulation in Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is one of the most severe and challenging personality disorders, characterized by emotional instability, intense interpersonal difficulties, impulsivity, and self-injurious behaviors. The presence of recurrent self-harming behaviors and difficulties in emotion regulation has widespread consequences for patients, their families, and even the healthcare system. Therefore, identifying effective therapeutic approaches to reduce these symptoms is of great importance. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), an integrative approach based on the principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy combined with mindfulness components, has been specifically designed and applied in recent decades for the treatment of individuals with BPD. The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of DBT in reducing self-harming behaviors and enhancing emotion regulation abilities in patients diagnosed with BPD. A group of patients with BPD was selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Research instruments included validated self-report questionnaires and standardized clinical interviews assessing the severity of self-harm and difficulties in emotion regulation. The experimental group received several months of DBT intervention in both individual and group therapy formats. The findings indicated that DBT significantly reduced self-harming behaviors and improved emotion regulation indices in the experimental group, while no significant change was observed in the control group. These results suggest that DBT can serve as an effective intervention for mitigating maladaptive symptoms and enhancing emotional functioning among patients with BPD. Overall, the present study emphasizes that DBT is not only effective in reducing self-injury but also contributes substantially to improving quality of life by teaching emotion regulation skills, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. It is recommended that this therapeutic approach be more widely implemented in clinical programs and specialized psychotherapy centers for patients with BPD.

کلیدواژه ها:

Borderline Personality Disorder ، Dialectical Behavior Therapy ، Self-Harm ، Emotion Regulation