Adaptation of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills-Groups for Individuals With Suicidal Ideation and Depression

Summary

Harley and colleagues demonstrated that adding Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills-groups and therapist consultation to treatment as usual successfully reduced symptoms of depression. The present study will expand upon these findings. Second, DBT is not known for reducing suicidal ideation (SI), a major risk factor for suicide . The present study will tailor the aforementioned skills-groups to specifically target suicidal thoughts and behaviors through Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) strategies aimed at increasing problem-solving deficits, hopelessness, and negativistic thinking. Third, the present study will extend this DBT-based approach to a novel population. Fourth, the present study is the first DBT intervention to employ state-of-the-art multi-method measurement (including objective assessment) of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

The investigators hypothesize that participants in the DBT skills (DBT-S) group will show improvements in level of suicidality as measured by decreased scores on the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation as compared with participants in the Wait List-Treatment as Usual (WL-TAU) group.

Conditions

• Suicidal Ideation
• Major Depressive Disorder

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills (DBT-S) Groups

The intervention will be delivered within an 18-week, once-weekly, one-and-half-hour skill group (8 participants per group) comprised of the same four modules administered in standard DBT skills training groups: (1) mindfulness, (2) interpersonal effectiveness, (3) emotion regulation, and (4) distress tolerance. There will be four sessions for each module totaling 16 sessions. There will be two booster sessions reviewing mindfulness and the concept of dialectics in-between each of the modules (i.e., between modules 2 and 3 and 3 and 4).

BEHAVIORAL

Wait List-Treatment as Usual

Participants will be seen by their standard treaters for 18 weeks as usual.

BEHAVIORAL

No intervention-treatment as usual

Participants will receive the intervention after 18 weeks in the treatment as usual group.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Maurizio Fava, MD

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Maurizio Fava, MD · Massachusetts General Hospital

• Maren Nyer, PhD · Massachusetts General Hospital

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2011-10-31

Primary Completion

2015-02-28

Completion

2015-02-28

Countries

• United States

Study Locations