8
Diagnosis
Comparison of Characteristics of Psychotherapies for BPD
Characteristic
Dialectical behavior
therapy (DBT)
Dynamic
deconstructive
psychotherapy
(DDP)
Mentalization-
based treatment
(MBT)
Typical
treatment
duration
6–12 months 12–18 months 12–18 months
Individual
therapy
1 hour/week 1 hour/week 1 hour/week
Group therapy 1.5 hour/week Not part of
treatment
75–90 minutes/
week
Family
therapy/
involvement
Multifamily group for
adolescents
Family groups for
adults
Not part of
treatment
MBT-Family
MBT-Family
Group Therapy
Crisis
management
Minimize emergency
department (ED) use
Focus on use of skills
and skills coaching
Between-session
availability
Exploration in
session
On-call
mentalizing team
or ED after hours
Manual
available for
treatment in
adolescents
Yes No Yes
Comments DBT skills training
can be used
independently
from other DBT
components
