A dialectical behavior therapy program for people with an eating disorder and borderline personality disorder--description and outcome.

OBJECTIVE To describe and evaluate a full dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) program for people with comorbid eating disorder and borderline personality disorder. The program included a novel skills training module written especially for eating-disordered patients. METHOD The program was run for 18 months. Days in hospital and major acts of self-harm were counted for the 18 months before and after DBT. RESULTS There were no dropouts from the program. The patients seemed to benefit. Most patients were neither eating disordered nor self-harming at follow-up. DISCUSSION Full DBT is an expensive and demanding treatment but deserves consideration for patients with an eating disorder and co-morbid borderline personality disorder and self-harm. There is a need for a more systematic and thorough evaluation.