Pilot study of DBT informed treatments for BPD in the community
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A pilot investigation of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) informed treatments for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in the community
IRAS ID
127023
Contact name
James Lyng
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Bangor University
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 29 days
Research summary
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental health problem associated with volatile and unpredictable emotions. People living with BPD experience problems in many areas of their lives, including self-harm and a 10% life-time chance of dying by suicide.
Over the past 25 years specialised psychological treatments for BPD have been developed. The most researched of these is comprehensive Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (C-DBT). C-DBT is a multi-component treatment (individual therapy, group skills training, telephone support and therapist consultation) which has been shown to reduce problems associated with BPD, including suicidality and self-harm. Additionally, some recent research has found that truncated forms of DBT might be useful, such as DBT skills training only (DBT:SO), but further investigation is needed. Most research on C-DBT and to an even greater extent DBT:SO has been carried out in specialist research centres. There is a shortage of studies on these treatments in the ‘real world’.
This project aims to gather information on the treatment of BPD using C-DBT and DBT:SO in real world settings. Part of a wider project involving services in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, at a local level within the South Eastern HSC Trust the study proposes to track and report outcomes of service users availing of DBT-informed treatments for BPD provided by the recently established DBT Team.
Based on clinical decisions made independently from the research project, some users of the DBT Team will be receiving C-DBT and some users may be receiving DBT:SO. Taking advantage of these naturally occurring groupings, the project will compare outcomes for willing participants in these treatment conditions using outcome questionnaire data collected every three months until the completion of treatment by the team.
Data collected may also be included in a wider analysis of DBT informed treatments in a number of community settings.
REC name
HSC REC B
REC reference
15/NI/0010
Date of REC Opinion
25 Mar 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion