Trial of a Brief Psychological Intervention for Suicidal Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder in the Emergency Department

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 intervention for patients with BPD in ED settings, however a 4-session psychotherapeutic intervention for people with personality disorders in ED settings was tested in Australia and showed promising results in reduced health care utilization. The proposed pilot randomized controlled trial will assess the feasibility 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 health care utilization.

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Key information

Conditions

Borderline Personality Disorder Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Mental Disorders Personality Disorders Self-Injurious Behavior Suicide Suicide and Self-harm

Age range

16 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Toronto, Ontario, M6J1H4, Canada

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

aged 16 or older
presenting to ED with self-harm and/or suicidal ideation; and
meeting criteria for BPD on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Personality Disorders

Exclusion criteria

unable to give informed consent;
meeting DSM-5 criteria for severe substance use disorder, schizophrenia spectrum disorder or bipolar disorder I mania based on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (28); and/or
IQ < 70 based on the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading

Treatment and study plan

Brief 4-session intervention for borderline personality disorder

Behavioral

Intervention consists of weekly 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. This intervention is detailed in a published manual.

Treatment as Usual

Behavioral

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

Primary outcomes

Primary clinical outcome measure - Emergency Department Visits

Time frame: 1, 3 and 6 month follow up

The primary clinical outcome will be the mean group difference in frequency of ER visits on the Client Service Receipt Inventory (CSRI)

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of a Brief Psychological Intervention for Suicidal Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder in the Emergency Department

Important dates

Study start: 2021
Primary completion: 2023
Study completion: 2023
First posted: Mar 3, 2021
Registry last updated: Dec 4, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Completed