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Clinical outcomes of a stepped care program for borderline personality disorder
Author(s) -
Laporte Lise,
Paris Joel,
Bergevin Tanya,
Fraser Ronald,
Cardin JeanFrançois
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
personality and mental health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.193
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 1932-863X
pISSN - 1932-8621
DOI - 10.1002/pmh.1421
Subject(s) - borderline personality disorder , impulsivity , psychological intervention , psychiatry , psychology , depression (economics) , substance abuse , naturalistic observation , clinical psychology , personality disorders , personality , social psychology , economics , macroeconomics
Abstract Objective This study examines the clinical outcomes of two clinics for borderline personality disorder (BPD) in a naturalistic setting, offering a stepped care model with both short‐term (ST) treatment lasting 12 weeks and extended care (EC) up to 24 months. Methods A total of 479 patients attending the ST clinic and 145 attending the EC clinic were assessed on depression, impulsivity, self‐esteem, emotion dysregulation, substance abuse, self‐harm and suicidality. Results There were significant reductions in all symptoms in both clinics with the exception that substance abuse was only reduced in the EC clinic. On all symptoms, no significant differences in magnitude of changes were observed between patients who stayed in EC clinic for 6–12 months in comparison to those who stayed for 18–24 months. Conclusions These results support the concept that for the majority of patients with BPD, brief treatment can be effective. While some patients still need longer treatment, the results are encouraging for brief treatment as a first step for the majority of patients with BPD. While this study adds to the weight of evidence to support ST interventions for patients with BPD, further research using a control group is needed. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.