DBT for BPD — MRCPsych Paper B MCQ

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EasyPersonality DisordersDBT for BPDMRCPsych Paper B

A patient with borderline personality disorder and recurrent self-harm enters a structured psychological treatment programme comprising weekly individual therapy and group skills training in mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. Which therapy is described?

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Correct answer: A — Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)

The answer is **dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)**. Comprehensive DBT combines individual therapy with skills training covering four characteristic modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. Telephone coaching and a therapist consultation team are also commonly included. CBT contributes behavioural and cognitive techniques to DBT but does not itself denote this four-module treatment package. MBT instead develops the capacity to understand one's own and other people's mental states. CAT maps recurring reciprocal roles and problematic relational procedures, while schema therapy targets enduring maladaptive schemas and schema modes. The named skills modules therefore make DBT the single best answer.

Reference: Royal College of Psychiatrists. Personality disorder: Dialectical Behavioural Therapy section. Accessed 19 August 2026. https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-health/mental-illnesses-and-mental-health-problems/personality-disorder