Are you one of us?

The New York Times published a great article by Benedict Carey in 2011 about Marsha Linehan and the story behind dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). 

In a therapy session, a patient asked Marsha Linehan this simple question: "Are you one of us?" I can imagine a moment of silence in the room, with the patient's intrigue and Marsha's gnawing realization that the story can be told, even in the moment of uncertainty about the potential effects on her practice and career.

The patient continued, "I mean one of us. Like us. Because if you were, it would give all of us so much hope.'

"'That did it,' said Dr. Linehan, 68, who told her story in public for the first time last week before an audience of friends, family and doctors at the Institute of Living, the Hartford clinic where she was first treated for extreme social withdrawal at age 17. “So many people have begged me to come forward, and I just thought — well, I have to do this. I owe it to them. I cannot die a coward.”

For the full article, click here and check out The New York Times website.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/health/23lives.html?_r=0#h[]