Three variations of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)  helped reduce suicide attempts and non-suicidal self-injury acts in a randomized clinical trial of women with borderline personality disorder who were highly suicidal, according to an article published online by JAMA Psychiatry.

Marsha M. Linehan, of the University of Washington, Seattle, and coauthors set out to evaluate the importance of the skills training component by comparing three treatment groups: skills training plus case management to replace individual therapy (DBT-S), DBT individual therapy plus activities group to replace skills training so therapists instead focused on the skills patients already had (DBT-I); and standard DBT, which included skills training and individual therapy. The DBT Suicide Risk Assessment and Management protocol was used with all patients in the study.

The authors found all three treatments reduced suicide attempts, suicide ideation, medical severity of intentional self-injury, use of crisis services due to suicidality and improved reasons for living.

Medical Express, March 25, 2015
 

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