General Psychopathology Clinical Trial
Official title:
Sequential Brief Adlerian Psychodynamic Psychotherapy in Heavy Users of a Mental Health Service With Borderline Personality Disorder: a Two Years Follow-up Preliminary Randomized Study.
Subjects affected with severe Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) are often heavy users of
Mental Health Services (MHS). This study evaluates the efficacy of the addition of
Sequential Brief Adlerian Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (SB-APP) to the treatment-as-usual
(TAU) for BPD compared to the TAU alone for a naturalistic group of heavy MHS users with
BPD. The efficacy was evaluated after at 6 time points along a two years of follow-up.
Thirty-five outpatients eligible for the study were randomly assigned to two treatment
groups (TAU=17; SB-APP=18). The Clinical Global Impression (CGI) and the CGI-modified
(CGI-M) for BPD, the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), the State-Trait Anger
Expression Inventory (STAXI), and the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (SCL-90-R) were
administered at T1, T3, T6, T12, T18, and T24. At T12 also the Working Alliance
Inventory-Short Form (WAI-S) was filled-in by participants and compared between groups. In
the one-year follow-up the SB-APP group did not receive any individual psychological
support. MHS was specifically trained in BPD treatment and had regular supervisions.
Scores of the CGI, GAF, and STAXI improved after 6 and 12 months, irrespective of treatment.
SB-APP group displayed a better outcome for impulsivity, suicide attempts, chronic feelings
of emptiness and disturbed relationships. The results displayed a good stabilization during
follow-up year even after the interruption of psychotherapy in the SB-APP group.
Even though the TAU for BPD applied to heavy MSH users displayed some efficacy in reducing
symptom expression and improving global functioning, the adjunct of a specific time-limited
and focused psychotherapeutic treatment reached a better outcome. In particular the
possibility of a focus on patients' personality functioning (SB-APP) with a specific
psychotherapeutic approach seemed to be more effective than the general support to social
impairment offered by the TAU approach.
n/a
Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Single Blind (Outcomes Assessor), Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
| Status | Clinical Trial | Phase | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Completed |
NCT05544877 -
An Energetic View on Creativity, Psychopathology and Intelligence: The Brain2Business Study
|
N/A |