Brief Psychological Intervention for Suicidal Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder in the Emergency Department

NCT06675461 | Enrolling By Invitation DMC

• 1 other identifier: 2022-081
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 180
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

When in crisis, people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) frequently seek care in emergency departments (EDs) often presenting with suicide and self-harm behaviour. There is no established evidence-based brief treatment for patients with BPD in ED settings, however a 4-session treatment for people with personality disorders in ED settings was tested in Australia and showed promising results in reducing health care use and improving symptoms. A recent pilot feasibility randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing this 4-session treatment to treatment as usual was conducted at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and preliminary findings have shown that the treatment is feasible to deliver and acceptable to both patients and clinicians. The proposed fully powered RCT will build on this pilot data to assess the efficacy of delivering this 4-session intervention in the ED for people with BPD who present with suicidal ideation or self-harm with the aim of reducing emergency health care use and improving BPD symptoms, functioning and quality of life.

Conditions

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

Keywords

Brief Intervention; Brief Treatment; Treatment; Intervention; Gold Card

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Suicidal Ideation

  Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale (SIDAS): is a self-report questionnaire that assesses history and severity of suicidal behaviour and ideation. Scores range from 0-50 with lower scores indicating less suicidal ideation.

  6 Month Follow Up

Secondary Outcomes (8)

• Suicidal Ideation

  3 Month Follow Up

• Health Care Use

  3 and 6 Month Follow Up

• Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms

  3 and 6 Month Follow Up

• Self-Harm Behavior

  3 and 6 Month Follow Up

• Emotion Regulation

  3 and 6 Month Follow Up

Study Arms (2)

Treatment As Usual

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Access to psychiatric assessment, medication review, and unscheduled sessions with allied health professionals using a drop-in model of care.

Behavioral: Treatment as usual

Gold Card Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

A 4-session manualized intervention consisting of weekly scheduled 50-minute 1:1 sessions focused on psycho-education, here-and-now problem solving and safety planning. One of the sessions can involve a significant other to provide psychoeducation about the disorder and to facilitate support.

Behavioral: Gold Card Intervention

Interventions

Gold Card Intervention BEHAVIORAL

A 4-session manualized intervention consisting of weekly scheduled 50-minute 1:1 sessions focused on psycho-education, here-and-now problem solving and safety planning. One of the sessions can involve a significant other to provide psychoeducation about the disorder and to facilitate support.

Gold Card Intervention

Treatment as usual BEHAVIORAL

Access to psychiatric assessment, medication review, and unscheduled sessions with allied health professionals using a drop-in model of care.

Treatment As Usual

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 16 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Must be deemed to have capacity to provide informed consent;
• Must sign and date the informed consent form;
• Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures;
• Aged 16 or older;
• Presenting to ED with self-harm and/or suicidal ideation;
• Meeting criteria for BPD on the International Personality Disorders Examination (IPDE).
• Endorsing a score of 1 or greater on the Suicide Ideation Attributes Scale (SIDAS).

You may not qualify if:

• Meeting DSM-5 criteria for schizophrenia spectrum disorder or bipolar disorder I mania based on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5);
• Severe alcohol or substance use disorder based on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5) requiring medical detoxification or residential treatment.
• IQ \< 70 based on the Test of Premorbid Functioning (TOPF).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health: lead

Study Sites (1)

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Toronto, Ontario, M6J1H4, Canada

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Borderline Personality Disorder

Interventions

Therapeutics

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personality Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Statistician
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associated Scientist

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 4, 2024
• First Posted: November 5, 2024
• Study Start: December 12, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2027
• Last Updated: February 11, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)