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Enhancing Dialectical Behavior Therapy for the Treatment of Bipolar Disorder

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Abstract

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a third wave, behavioral therapy that is designed to target emotion dysregulation. The current study investigated whether DBT could be an effective treatment intervention for bipolar disorder and how it could be adapted for this population. Although empirical study of DBT and bipolar disorder is limited, there is evidence to suggest that DBT is a promising treatment for bipolar disorder. In this study, adapted DBT products were created for bipolar disorder, and feedback on the products was elicited from five experts in the field through semi-structured interviews. Interviews were transcribed and coded for analyses. The findings from the interviews were integrated into revised products with the intention to be used in the clinical community. Several experts reported currently using DBT for bipolar disorder treatment. We conclude that a form of DBT using adapted materials could be a promising intervention for the treatment of bipolar disorder, although more research is needed to demonstrate efficacy. Future directions include conducting randomized controlled trials on DBT and bipolar disorder, as well as testing the created product in clinical practice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Alyson DiRocco, Lisa Liu & Molly Burrets

  2. Alhambra, CA, USA

    Alyson DiRocco

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  1. Alyson DiRocco
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  2. Lisa Liu
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  3. Molly Burrets
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Correspondence to Alyson DiRocco.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were granted exemption by the Alliant International University Institutional Review Board (ref # 1804106076) and were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Appendices

Appendix 1

Revised Worksheet and Handouts

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figure e
figure f

Appendix 2

Table 1 Proposed Changes
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DiRocco, A., Liu, L. & Burrets, M. Enhancing Dialectical Behavior Therapy for the Treatment of Bipolar Disorder. Psychiatr Q 91, 629–654 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-020-09709-6

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