• Psychological assessment interview [ Time Frame: Baseline, 4-month, 8-month, 12-month, 16-month, 20-month, 24-month ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  
• Urinalysis [ Time Frame: 3x/week during active treatment; 1x/week during follow-up year ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

• Pre- and post-session therapist and client questionnaires [ Time Frame: 1x/week during active treatment ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

The study design is a two arm randomized clinical trial comparing a one year treatment program of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) + suboxone for heroin addicted individuals meeting criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD) to a one year program of standard drug counseling (I/GDC) + suboxone. Drug counseling will consist of manualized individual sessions + group therapy. Participants in both conditions will be prescribed psychotropic medications following a standardized medication protocol developed specifically for BPD individuals. Each site will enroll 86 clients with both treatment conditions being conducted at each site. Assessments measuring drug use, suicidal behaviors, retention and other treatment-related behaviors, general psychopathology and functioning, and increases in behavioral skills will be given at four month intervals for two years

There are five outcome domains of principal interest in this study:

1. Drug use: The primary outcome measure here is proportions of urinalysis (UA) coded positive for opiates;
2. Suicidal behaviors: The primary outcome measure here is number of suicides + suicide attempts. The domain of suicidal behaviors also includes (a) the number, medical risk, risk/rescue score and suicide intent of all parasuicide, (b) the number of suicide threats and suicide crises, and (c) the level of suicidal ideation and suicide intent;
3. Therapy-interfering behaviors: The primary outcome measure here is maintenance in therapy;
4. Quality of life interfering behaviors: The primary outcome measure here is combined number of days on a psychiatric inpatient unit + days in jail (THI, SHI);
5. Behavioral skills: The primary outcome measure here is the DBT Skills scale score from the Revised Ways of Coping Checklist (RWCCL);
6. Risky sexual behavior: the primary outcome measure here is the number of risky sexual behaviors in the time period [Casual Partners questionnaire revised [CPQ-R] and diary card].