Citation

Stanley B, Brodsky B, Nelson JD, Dulit R. Arch. Suicide Res. 2007; 11(4): 337-341.

Affiliation

Department of Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, International Academy of Suicide Research, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/13811110701542069

PMID

17882621

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a shorter course of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in enhancing treatment retention and reducing: urges to engage in non-suicidal self injury (NSSI), NSSI, suicide ideation, and subjective distress in borderline personality disorder (BPD). Twenty patients with BPD received a six-month course of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT-B). DBT-B was delivered in the standard manner except for the shortened duration from one-year minimum to six months. All variables were measured at baseline, and at six months. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests. Treatment retention rate was 95%. Significant reductions were found in NSSI urges, NSSI, suicide ideation, subjective distress, depression, and hopelessness between baseline and six months. These results support the use of DBT-B in a six-month format when NSSI and suicidal behavior and ideation are the targeted behaviors. Target behaviors were reduced significantly and retention was extremely high in comparison to other interventions for this population. A large scale randomized controlled trial investigating its efficacy is warranted to determine if the results can be replicated and if improvement can be sustained.

Language: en