Marsha Linehan, Creator of Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Dies at 83
Marsha Linehan, the pioneering psychologist who developed Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), died in Seattle on Tuesday at age 83. Linehan, a University of Washington professor, created DBT by combining traditional talk therapy with Zen mindfulness to treat borderline personality disorder and severe suicidal behavior. Her approach, which emphasizes emotion regulation and stress tolerance, is now considered the gold standard for these conditions and has expanded to treat other mental health issues. Colleagues and former patients described her as a deeply empathetic figure who used her own struggles with mental illness to develop effective treatments. Linehan is survived by her daughter, Geraldine Rodriguez, and other family members.