Talk:Dialectical behavioral therapy/Comments

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Please keep DBT in Wikipedia. I have been a part of a DBT group for over 2 years although it has been disbanded now. My son was suicidal with serious self-harm at 17. Was able to do DBT through County Mental Health. Was tested to see if he qualified for it. I do know it is recommended to be sucessful in helping, a commitment of 6 months to go through Linehan's book and another 6 months to go through it again. My son had to commit to 1 year skills training, keeping a diary, meeting one on one and in a group. I also have attended "NAMI" meeting where DBT was mentioned as helping family members who were diagnosed borderline or were suicidal or self-harming. I read an article but unfortunately do not have the reference, of DBT being used in prison setting for those inmates diagnosed with borderline personality and was helpful. I have been in counseling off and on for 40 years, since first panic attack in college. No med or therapy helped me or continues to like DBT. Its 4 components of distress tolerance, mindfulness, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness are a lifestyle for creating a "life worth living". To me its premise is we can all learn "skills" to help ourselves even if we do not possess them intuitively as some might. It is full of help and compassion for self accepting where you are in level of skills and continuing to always get better and healthier. there is no end to trying to be a better person or to learn "self-soothing" skills or any lack of skills that cause pain in your life. I would be glad to help on this subject in anyway I can. I discovered this therapy in trying to help my son but has helped my diagnosis of "dysthimia" and anxiety as well as adult ADD. I am not nor never been suicidal or self-harming yet I never could shake the depression and struggled to cope with anxiety. I have been very functional as far as keeping a job but my relationships were always painful. 2 divorces. I still struggle with the 4 areas focused on in DBT but continue to work on them on my own and wish I still had a group to bounce my trials and errors off during the week. It's amazing how much help others who are learning skills can help each other. Carolejolly (talk) 01:32, 6 February 2008 (UTC)