TY - JOUR

T1 - Standalone DBT Group Skills Training Versus Standard (i.e. All Modes) DBT for Borderline Personality Disorder

T2 - A Natural Quasi-experiment in Routine Clinical Practice

AU - Lyng, Jim

AU - Swales, Michaela A

AU - Hastings, Richard P

AU - Millar, Tracy

AU - Duffy, Daniel J

AU - Booth, Richard

PY - 2020/2

Y1 - 2020/2

N2 - We describe a naturally occurring, real-world comparison of outcomes following 6 months in standalone DBT skills training group for adults with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) without recent suicidal or severe self-harming behaviours and standard (i.e. all modes) DBT for BPD including patients with recent high-risk behaviours. 34 patients chose standalone skills over waiting for standard DBT and 54 were offered standard DBT. Dropout was higher for standalone skills than standard DBT (38.2% vs. 16.7%). No statistically or clinically significant differences were found among completers between conditions on borderline symptoms, general psychopathology, and suicide ideation. There was a moderate effect for standalone skills on hopelessness and emotion regulation difficulties which may have reflected non-equivalence of treatment groups. Significant methodological factors limit generalisability of findings which offer support for feasibility of standalone DBT skills as an effective alternative to waitlist for standard DBT for at least some patients with BPD in the community.

AB - We describe a naturally occurring, real-world comparison of outcomes following 6 months in standalone DBT skills training group for adults with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) without recent suicidal or severe self-harming behaviours and standard (i.e. all modes) DBT for BPD including patients with recent high-risk behaviours. 34 patients chose standalone skills over waiting for standard DBT and 54 were offered standard DBT. Dropout was higher for standalone skills than standard DBT (38.2% vs. 16.7%). No statistically or clinically significant differences were found among completers between conditions on borderline symptoms, general psychopathology, and suicide ideation. There was a moderate effect for standalone skills on hopelessness and emotion regulation difficulties which may have reflected non-equivalence of treatment groups. Significant methodological factors limit generalisability of findings which offer support for feasibility of standalone DBT skills as an effective alternative to waitlist for standard DBT for at least some patients with BPD in the community.

U2 - 10.1007/s10597-019-00485-7

DO - 10.1007/s10597-019-00485-7

M3 - Article

C2 - 31673877

VL - 56

SP - 238

EP - 250

JO - Community Mental Health Journal

JF - Community Mental Health Journal

SN - 0010-3853

IS - 2

ER -