What is better DBT or MBT for D17 w BPD?

[Tesse]

Dear family. For our D17 we are looking for therapy. People advise BPD. However. Here in Geneva Switzerland it is hard to find therapists that provide that. And there are certainly no ado groups with DBT. Is MBT AS GOOD RE RESULTS? and what do you advise. To look further for DBT  or to go for SECOND BEST MBT? Or?

Thank you so much

Our objective is to better understand the struggles our child faces and to learn the skills to improve our relationship and provide a supportive environment and also improve on our own emotional responses, attitudes and effectiveness as a family leaders

[Rapt Reader]

Hi, Tesse... .There are, actually, several treatments for BPD that people have found to be very helpful. We have an Article on this site that discusses the treatment available to people affected by Borderline Personality Disorder:

•What works?

•How does it work?

•What is the role of the family member?

•What is should the family members "not do"?

•What to expect?

This is the link to the whole Article: BPD: Treatments, Cures, and it suggests that Recent consensus seems to suggest that behavior modification training is most effective with people affected by Borderline Personality Disorder. Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), or one promising offshoot, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is the method most heavily evaluated in population studies. There are also several others - Transferance (a preferred method at Columbia Presbyterian in NYC, for example) and the newer Schema, and Mentalization therapies that are being evaluated.

In the simplest sense, this is mostly about recognizing maladaptive behavior in yourself (the person affected by BPD), and using behavior tools to express it more constructively. Like a diet, it works only with someone who is motivated and committed. Like a diet, many enter, some have short term gains but can't sustain the willpower. And like a diet, setbacks in life can easily defeat the process.  Some patients start and restart. Some start and then give up / dismiss it. 

For these reasons, it is important that the family and environment be both structured (helping avoid falling events) and encouraging (not defeating). The family also need to be both patient and have boundaries with respect to digressions.

There is no "passive" cure, but therapy really can make a difference, and many of us parents here have seen major changes for the better with our children. My own son (the reason I am here) has made progress by leaps and bounds with a combination of DBT, Outpatient Therapy, Psychiatric Therapy, Neurofeedback (or Biofeedback) Therapy, and some medications. Everyone's symptoms and behaviors are specific to them, and there therapeutic needs are different, but the Article does outline the benefits of MBT, DBT, CBT, and SFT. I believe it would be worth your while to check the whole Article out... .