DBT Techniques by E-mail for Patients With BPD

NCT04493580 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: PSIY-391-13
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 107
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Purpose: The aim of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy of online Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (e-DBT) in the treatment of individuals with symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Method: Study participants diagnosed with BPD were offered treatment options of either online or in-person format of a DBT skills-building program. During each session, participants were provided with both the material and feedback regarding their previous week's homework. e-DBT protocol and content was designed to mirror in-person content. Participants were assessed by using a Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS).

Conditions

Borderline Personality Disorder

Keywords

Borderline Personality Disorder; Treatment; Barriers to Treatment; Psychotherapy; Dialectal Behavioural Therapy; Online

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) Changes

  Self assessment questionnaire

  Week 1, Week 15

• Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) Changes

  Self-report tool designed to obtain an overall measure of the difficulty respondents have with various aspects of emotion regulation. The DERS not only provides an overall score of difficulties with emotion regulation, but assesses the following six specific factors related to emotion dysregulation: non-acceptance (non-acceptance of emotional responses), goals (difficulty engaging in goal-oriented behaviors), impulse (difficulty controlling impulses), awareness (lack of emotional awareness), strategies (lack of access to emotion regulation strategies) and clarity (lack of emotional clarity).

  Week 1, Week 15

Study Arms (2)

iDBT Treatments

EXPERIMENTAL

15 weekly DBT sessions. During each session, participants will be sent 30-40 PowerPoint slides including general information on particular topic, overview of skills, and homework sheets to be completed and returned to therapists. Therapists involved will be a psychiatry resident, a psychologist, and a registered nurse who will also facilitate the in-person groups. The content and format of the online program will directly corresponded with that of the in-person group. Participants will be asked to send their homework sheets back to therapists by a specific day each week. The following day, the therapist will email feedback regarding the homework submitted and send next week's PowerPoint slides, information sheets, and homework. In order to be eligible to receive the materials, participants are required to send in homework prior to deadline. If homework was not returned, reminder email will be sent. If more than two sessions are missed, participants are excluded from the program.

Behavioral: iDBT

In-Person DBT Treatments

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Weekly skills-building groups titled Managing Powerful Emotions (MPE) includes Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness. Personality Disorders Service offers more advanced therapy groups for individuals who have successfully completed MPE and wish to continue seeking treatment modalities. Chrysalis Day Treatment Program (CDTP) is for an individual who has progress through two prior phases. In phase one, individuals will participate in a DBT-informed skill-building group (MPE). Once completed, the individual will progress to phase two which includes attending a psychotherapy group, incorporating DBT skills-building. Finally, in phase three, individuals who wish to participate in a more advanced and complex psychological treatment program, apply to participate in CDTP. The CDTP is an intensive day treatment program integrating DBT skills-building, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and a range of other group therapy modalities.

Behavioral: In-Person DBT

Interventions

iDBT BEHAVIORAL

Electronic DBT sessions designed to mirror in-person DBT.

iDBT Treatments

In-Person DBT BEHAVIORAL

In-person DBT

In-Person DBT Treatments

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Borderline Personality Disorder Diagnosis via DSM-5 Guidelines
• Competence to consent and participate
• Ability to speak and read English
• Consistent and reliable access to the internet

You may not qualify if:

• Acute hypomanic/manic episodes
• Acute psychosis
• Severe alcohol or substance use disorder
• Currently receiving DBT

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Dr. Nazanin Alavi: lead
• Online PsychoTherapy Clinic: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Hotel Dieu Hospital

Kingston, Ontario, K7L 5G3, Canada

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Alavi N, Stephenson C, Rivera M. Effectiveness of Delivering Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Techniques by Email in Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder: Nonrandomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Ment Health. 2021 Apr 30;8(4):e27308. doi: 10.2196/27308.

  PMID: 33835936 DERIVED

Related Links

• Related Info

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Borderline Personality Disorder

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personality Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Nazanin Alavi

  Queen's University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor

Model Details: Individuals who were referred to the Personality Disorders Service in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, with a diagnosis of BPD by a psychiatrist or family physician were offered the opportunity to either select in-person DBT skills-building program groups (MPE) or an online format of the program (iDBT).

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 21, 2020
• First Posted: July 30, 2020
• Study Start: April 1, 2014
• Primary Completion: April 1, 2018
• Study Completion: April 1, 2018
• Last Updated: April 10, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)