ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Originally developed to treat highly suicidal women, dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)1 has evolved into an effi cacious treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD) and related problems, such as substance use disorders (SUDs), suicidality and self-injury. Th e frequent co-occurrence of BPD and SUD suggested the need to adapt and apply DBT to people who struggle with both of these clinical problems.2,3 Indeed, more than half (57.4%) of individuals with BPD also meet criteria for a SUD,4 and between 5% and 32% of those who struggle with SUDs meet criteria for BPD.5,6 Within this chapter, we provide practical information on the evidence for DBT in the treatment of SUDs as well as suggestions on how to incorporate DBT into the treatment of people experiencing SUDs.
