Long Term Efficacy of DBT-A in Adolescents With Repetitive Self-harming and Suicidal Behaviours

Summary

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the long-term efficacy of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in treatment of adolescents with deliberate self harm compared to enhanced usual care (EUC). This study follows-up 77 patients in the ages of 12-18 yrs who have been included in an RCT of DBT-A vs EUC. The main inclusion criterion for this study was repetitive self-harm behaviour. The patients were randomly allocated to receive 16 weeks of outpatient DBT or EUC in child and adolescent psychiatric clinics in Oslo. Participants have been assessed so far on five different time-points: baseline (before starting treatment), 9 weeks, 15 weeks, 19 weeks and 71 weeks after start of the treatment. In the current project patients will be assessed a 6th time 2 years after treatment completion.

The main study hypotheses are:

* DBT will be significantly more efficacious in reducing the number of self-harm episodes with or without intent to die, as well as reducing the number of emergency room visits for self-harm or suicidal behaviour, compared to EUC.
* DBT will be significantly more efficacious in reducing the level of suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms compared to EUC.

Conditions

• Intentional Self Harm

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Dialectical behavior therapy

16 weeks of Dialectical behavior therapy with one weekly session of individual therapy, one weekly session of multifamily skills training group, telephone coaching and ancillary family therapy and/or pharmacological treatment as needed. The treatment has been developed by Marsha Linehan (Linehan, 1993a; 1993b)and adapted for adolescents by Alec Miller (Miller, Rathus \& Linehan, 2007). Individual DBT therapists have been trained by drs Alec L Miller and Sarah K Reynolds and have a minimum of one year clinical practise as DBT therapists. The therapists are organised in two consultation teams supervised on a bimonthly basis throughout the entire study by drs Miller and Reynolds respectively.

BEHAVIORAL

Enhanced usual care

16 weeks of outpatient treatment in child and adolescent psychiatric clinics in Oslo, on average one weekly session of individual therapy and ancillary supportive. family and/or pharmacological treatment as needed.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Oslo University Hospital

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Lars Mehlum, Professor · National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

13 Years

Max Age

20 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2012-01-31

Primary Completion

2022-12-31

Completion

2022-12-31

Countries

• Norway

Study Locations