DBT can be used in a number of positive ways and through a number of various types of therapy. One of the ways that DBT therapy can be used is for people who are suffering from an Axis II diagnosis of Borderline Personality disorder. However when this disorder is combine with an Axis I diagnosis of opiate dependence the benefits can be much greater with DBT than other traditional therapy or addictions treatment options.
The study that was conducted concluded that there were options for those who were dual diagnosed and that the use of DBT treatment could reduce the amount of reoccurrence in substance abuse (Linehan, Dimeff, Reynolds, Comtois, Welch, Heagerty, and Kivlahan 2002).
Although DBT is typically used in a group setting in the study that was conducted by Jennifer S. Kirby and David H. Baucom from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, it looked at the use of DBT in couple’s therapy programs. This use of DBT is not the intended use as it is not for those who are suffering from the Axis II diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder, however the study was able to yield some interesting results. The authors suggest that some people in relationships are more emotionally sensitive and that in these relationships there are some results from one of the partner’s having this emotionally vulnerability in a sense.
The things that can suffer in this relationship are that there could be “difficulty with a) inhibiting mood-dependent dysfunctional behaviors, b) organizing behavior in the service of goals independently of current mood, c) increasing or decreasing psychological arousal as needed, d) distracting attention from emotionally evocative stimuli, and e) experiencing emotion without either immediately withdrawing or producing an extreme secondary negative emotion.”
The problem is that if there are any type of problems in the relationship then there can be problems with the emotionally vulnerable partner in that the person will tend to experience more negative feelings than what others would experience. Thus the introduction of DBT treatment into the couple’s therapy can provide a great amount of support and can drastically help those who are having relationship problems (2007 pp. 396-397).