The clinical practice guidelines for deliberate self-harm address self-harm within specific population sub-groups and provide up-to-date recommendations and guidance within an evidence-based framework, supplemented by expert clinical consensus.
Given the severity and suicide risk of patients typically treated by Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and the absence of guidelines regarding delivery of DBT via telehealth, it is crucial that the DBT treatment community gather and rapidly disseminate information about effective strategies for delivering DBT via telehealth. The current study surveyed DBT providers (N = 200) to understand challenges and lessons learned as they transitioned to conducting DBT via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Open-ended responses to challenges and lessons-learned were coded. Most frequently noted challenges were Therapy-Interfering Behaviors and elements related to the provision of Individual Therapy and Skills Training Group. The majority of providers offered advice for implementing group skills training, avoiding or overcoming therapist burnout, and emphasized continued adherence to treatment principles, even in the context of this new treatment modality. Overall, this qualitative study marks a starting point on identifying best practices delivering DBT via telehealth for which it is anticipated that clinical recommendations in this area will evolve, informed by clinician, researcher, and consumer input.
Objectives: Borderline personality disorder is a complex mental disorder that is associated with a high degree of suffering for the individual. Dialectical behaviour therapy has been studied in the largest number of controlled trials for treatment of individuals with borderline personality disorder. The conversational model is a psychodynamic treatment also developed specifically for treatment of borderline personality disorder. We report on the outcomes of a randomised trial comparing dialectical behaviour therapy and conversational model for treatment of borderline personality disorder in a routine clinical setting. Method: Participants had a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder and a minimum of three suicidal and/or non-suicidal self-injurious episodes in the previous 12 months. Consenting individuals were randomised to either dialectical behaviour therapy or conversational model and contracted for 14 months of treatment ( n = 162 commenced therapy). Dialectical behaviour therapy involved participants attending weekly individual therapy, weekly group skills training and having access to after-hours phone coaching. Conversational model involved twice weekly individual therapy. Assessments occurred at baseline, mid-treatment (7 months) and post-treatment (14 months). Assessments were conducted by a research assistant blind to treatment condition. Primary outcomes were change in suicidal and non-suicidal self-injurious episodes and severity of depression. We hypothesised that dialectical behaviour therapy would be more effective in reducing suicidal and non-suicidal self-injurious behaviour and that conversational model would be more effective in reducing depression. Results: Both treatments showed significant improvement over time across the 14 months duration of therapy in suicidal and non-suicidal self-injury and depression scores. There were no significant differences between treatment models in reduction of suicidal and non-suicidal self-injury. However, dialectical behaviour therapy was associated with significantly greater reductions in depression scores compared to conversational model. Conclusion: This research adds to the accumulating body of knowledge of psychotherapeutic treatment of borderline personality disorder and supports the use of both dialectical behaviour therapy and conversational model as effective treatments in routine clinical settings, with some additional benefits for dialectical behaviour therapy for persons with co-morbid depression.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is an intensive and multi-modal intervention developed for individuals with multiple comorbidities and high-risk behaviours. During pandemic-related lockdowns, many DBT services transitioned to delivering treatment via telehealth, but some did not. The current study sought to explore the experience of DBT teams in Australia and New Zealand who did and did not transition to telehealth during the early stages of the COVID19 pandemic, as the majority of research on DBT via telehealth has originated from North America, and focussed on therapists who did make this transition. DBT team leaders in Australia and New Zealand completed a survey with open-ended questions about the barriers they encountered to delivering DBT via telehealth, and for those teams that implemented telehealth, the solutions to those barriers. Respondents were also asked about specific barriers encountered by Indigenous and Pacific people service users. Of the 73 team leaders who took part, 56 reported providing either individual therapy, skills training or both modalities via video-call during lockdown. Themes emerging from perceived barriers affecting just DBT providers included the assessment & management of emotions and high-risk behaviours, threats to privacy and information security posed by telehealth, logistical issues related to remote sessions, and the remote management of therapy-interfering behaviour. Themes emerging from perceived barriers affecting both providers and service users included disruptions to therapeutic alliance, lack of willingness, lack of technical knowledge, lack of private spaces to do DBT via telehealth, and lack of resources. The solutions most frequently cited were the provision of education and training for therapists and service users in the use of telehealth, and the provision of resources to access telehealth. These findings are relevant to clinical delivery of DBT, as well as planning and funding for DBT telehealth services.
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