Hope for the Chronically Suicidal Patient

NCT ID: NCT00154154

Last Updated: 2012-12-12

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

180 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2002-10-31

Study Completion Date

2009-04-30

Brief Summary

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The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical and cost effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for chronically suicidal behavior in individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Recent investigations of DBT have yielded positive results and have challenged the widely held opinion that the prognosis for this condition is poor. This study will consist of a two-arm randomized controlled trial that will compare DBT with a General Psychiatric Management (GPM) condition consisting of a structured algorithmic medication intervention plus psychosocial counseling. One-hundred and eighty participants will be randomly assigned to either DBT or to the GPM condition. Clinical outcomes will be assessed by changes in: (1) parasuicidal behaviour; (2) treatment retention; (3) psychiatric symptomatology; (4) anger expression; (5) social functioning and (6) health status. Cost outcomes will include an analysis of health service utilization. Clinical and cost evaluations will occur at 4-month intervals over the course of the one-year treatment and over a two-year follow-up.

Detailed Description

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Suicide, a major cause of death worldwide, is a serious public health problem. Forty percent of individuals who commit suicide meet diagnostic criteria for a personality disorder and an even higher percent of those attempting suicide have a personality disorder . Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is highly associated with parasuicidal behaviour. Parasuicidal behaviour refers to suicide attempts or other self-injurious behaviour and is a risk factor for completed suicide. Approximately 69% - 80% of people diagnosed with BPD have committed at least one act of self-harm. Estimates of completed suicides in this population are about 9%, with this rate quadrupling for patients who meet 8 or more of the 9 DSM criteria for BPD.

Chronically suicidal behaviour in people with BPD is estimated to be among the most expensive psychiatric disorders to treat. While there is an extensive anecdotal literature on the treatment of this population, clinical outcomes have been dismal and treatment evidence based on well-designed trials is sparse. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), a broad-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), has recently shown promise in the treatment of this population. DBT is being widely adopted in the treatment of this disorder despite its limited empirical base. To date, there are few studies on DBT and no replications of the original research on DBT by researchers independent of the treatment developer.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical and cost effectiveness of DBT for the treatment of parasuicidal individuals with BPD compared to a General Psychiatric Management (GPM) control condition involving a structured algorithm medication intervention plus psychosocial support. This study will compare the following outcome measures in participants who receive Dialectical Behavior Therapy versus General Psychiatric Management, Best Practices during a one-year treatment interval and two-year follow-up: (1) frequency and severity of parasuicidal behaviours ; (2) number of self-harm episodes (3) improvement in quality of life (4) cost effectiveness.

Hypotheses:(1) Patients in the DBT condition will show greater reductions in the frequency and severity of parasuicidal behaviours compared to patients in the GPM condition during a one-year treatment interval and two-year follow-up; (2) Compared to GPM, DBT will result in a greater reduction in the number of self-harm episodes and a greater improvement in quality of life but will have a higher direct cost. However, because DBT will result in significant offsetting reductions in other health service costs, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios will fall within the range of many accepted medical interventions.

Conditions

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Borderline Personality Disorder

Keywords

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borderline personality disorder BPD treatment dialectical behavior therapy DBT general Psychiatric management GPM suicide parasuicide randomized control trials

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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A

General Psychiatric Management

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

General Psychiatric Management

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

General Psychiatric Management (GPM) condition consisting of a structured algorithmic medication intervention plus psychosocial counseling.

2

Dialectal Behaviour Therapy

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Modification of behaviours achieved with reframing thoughts and impulses

Interventions

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General Psychiatric Management

General Psychiatric Management (GPM) condition consisting of a structured algorithmic medication intervention plus psychosocial counseling.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy

Modification of behaviours achieved with reframing thoughts and impulses

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Meet DSM-IV criteria for BPD
* Between 18-60 years of age
* Have had two parasuicide episodes in the past five years with one occurring in the past 3 months
* Have had OHIP coverage for 1 year or more
* Literate in English
* Provide informed consent to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria

* Current active substance dependence disorder
* Psychotic disorder,bipolar I disorder, or dementia
* Evidence of an organic brain syndrome or mental retardation
* A chronic or serious physical health problem that will require hospitalization within the next year (e.g. cancer)
* A medical condition that would preclude the psychiatric medication regimen in the GPM condition
* Definite plans to leave the province in the next 2 years
* Currently engaged in DBT or GPM at St. Michael's Hospital
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

60 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

OTHER_GOV

Sponsor Role collaborator

Unity Health Toronto

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Shelley McMain

Head, Borderline Personality Disorder Clinic

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Shelley F. McMain, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Locations

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St Michael's Hospital

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Site Status

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Site Status

Countries

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Canada

References

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American Psychiatric Association (2001). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

American Psychiatric Association Practice Guidelines. Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with borderline personality disorder. American Psychiatric Association. Am J Psychiatry. 2001 Oct;158(10 Suppl):1-52. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11665545 (View on PubMed)

Clarkin JF, Widiger TA, Frances A, Hurt SW, Gilmore M. Prototypic typology and the borderline personality disorder. J Abnorm Psychol. 1983 Aug;92(3):263-75. doi: 10.1037//0021-843x.92.3.263. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 6619404 (View on PubMed)

Cowdry RW, Pickar D, Davies R. Symptoms and EEG findings in the borderline syndrome. Int J Psychiatry Med. 1985-1986;15(3):201-11. doi: 10.2190/3y0c-hauk-04jx-gbpn.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 4066162 (View on PubMed)

Gunderson, J.G. (1984) Borderline Personality Disorder. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Press.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Linehan,M.M. (1993). Cognitive-Behavorial Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. New York: The Guilford Press.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Linehan, M.M. (1981). A social-behavioral analysis of suicide and parasuicide: Implications for clinical assessment and treatment. In H. Glazer & J.F. Clarkin (Eds.),Depression: Behavioral and Directive Intervention Strategies (pp. 29-294). New York: Garland.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Linehan,MM., Heard, HL (1999). Borderline personality disorder: costs, course and treatment outcomes. In N. Mille & K. Magruder (Eds.), The cost-effectiveness of psychotherapy: Guide for practitioners, researchers and policy makers. New York: Oxford University Press, pp.291-305.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Moscicki, E.K. (1999). Epidemiology of Suicide. In D.G. Jacobs (Ed)., The Harvard Medical School Guide to Suicde Assessment and Intervention. Josssey-Bass Publishers: San Francisco

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Paris J, Brown R, Nowlis D. Long-term follow-up of borderline patients in a general hospital. Compr Psychiatry. 1987 Nov-Dec;28(6):530-5. doi: 10.1016/0010-440x(87)90019-8. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 3691077 (View on PubMed)

Scheel,K. The empirical basis of dialectical behavioral therapy: Summary, critique and implications. Clinical Psychology-Science and Practice,2000, 7, 68-86.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Stone, H.H. (1989). The course of borderlne personality disorder. In A. Tasman, T.E. Hales, & A.J. Frances (Eds.), American Psychiatric Press Review of Psychiatry, 8, (pp.103-122). Washington DC:American Psychiatric Press

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Witt KG, Hetrick SE, Rajaram G, Hazell P, Taylor Salisbury TL, Townsend E, Hawton K. Psychosocial interventions for self-harm in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021 Apr 22;4(4):CD013668. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013668.pub2.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 33884617 (View on PubMed)

Storebo OJ, Stoffers-Winterling JM, Vollm BA, Kongerslev MT, Mattivi JT, Jorgensen MS, Faltinsen E, Todorovac A, Sales CP, Callesen HE, Lieb K, Simonsen E. Psychological therapies for people with borderline personality disorder. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 May 4;5(5):CD012955. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012955.pub2.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 32368793 (View on PubMed)

Runarsdottir V, Hansdottir I, Tyrfingsson T, Einarsson M, Dugosh K, Royer-Malvestuto C, Pettinati H, Khalsa J, Woody GE. Extended-Release Injectable Naltrexone (XR-NTX) With Intensive Psychosocial Therapy for Amphetamine-Dependent Persons Seeking Treatment: A Placebo-Controlled Trial. J Addict Med. 2017 May/Jun;11(3):197-204. doi: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000000297.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 28379861 (View on PubMed)

McMain SF, Guimond T, Streiner DL, Cardish RJ, Links PS. Dialectical behavior therapy compared with general psychiatric management for borderline personality disorder: clinical outcomes and functioning over a 2-year follow-up. Am J Psychiatry. 2012 Jun;169(6):650-61. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2012.11091416.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 22581157 (View on PubMed)

McMain SF, Links PS, Gnam WH, Guimond T, Cardish RJ, Korman L, Streiner DL. A randomized trial of dialectical behavior therapy versus general psychiatric management for borderline personality disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 2009 Dec;166(12):1365-74. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2009.09010039. Epub 2009 Sep 15.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 19755574 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

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http://WWW.camh.net

Web page for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Other Identifiers

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CIHR: #200204MCT-101123

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: secondary_id

CIHR: #200204MCT-101123

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id