Active clinical trials for "Personality Disorders"

Suicide is a major public health crisis for which effective new interventions are needed. An innovative new brain stimulation technique called magnetic seizure therapy (MST) shows promise for treating suicidal thinking in chronically depressed individuals. Using a high-risk cohort of suicidal patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and treatment resistant major depressive disorder (MDD), this study will evaluate the effectiveness of MST for reducing suicidality and depressive symptoms in an open-label clinical trial of up to 15 treatment sessions. Based on research showing that functioning of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) may be disrupted in BPD and place individuals at risk for suicide, the DLPFC will be targeted for stimulation. Moderate-to-highly suicidal patients with BPD beginning dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) will be recruited using a case-control design, comparing individuals receiving MST and DBT with matched patient control group receiving DBT alone.

The trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel internet intervention (Priovi), which was designed to introduce relevant schema therapy techniques to Persons with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Therefore, 200 people with BPD will be recruited and randomized to two groups: (1) a control group, in which they may engage with any BPD treatment (Care-as-Usual, CAU) and receive access to Priovi after a delay of 12 months (i.e., CAU/wait list control group), or (2) to a treatment group that immediately receives 12-month access to Priovi and may also use CAU. The primary outcome measure is the score of the Borderline Personality Disorder Severity Index (BPDSI), collected at three, six and 12 month post-baseline.

Recent research suggests that BPD is a common, serious but treatable disorder with a better than previously recognized prognosis. Despite these findings, many patients with BPD are not given the borderline diagnosis by the mental health professionals treating them. It is also true that many newly diagnosed borderline patients are not provided with up-to-date information on the disorder even though psychoeducation has been found to be a useful form of treatment for other serious psychiatric illnesses. The investigators have conducted a preliminary randomized trial of psychoeducation for BPD that found that those provided with immediate psychoeducation had a significantly greater reduction in two core symptoms of BPD--general impulsivity and stormy relationships--than those with delayed psychoeducation. However, both instruction and assessment of change over time were conducted in person by paraprofessionals. The importance of the current study is that it will allow the investigators to develop and test the efficacy of an internet-based program of psychoeducation for BPD that will be both cost efficient and easy to disseminate widely, particularly to underserved populations.

The present research aims at examining the effectiveness of a specific set of therapist relational interventions and attitudes, called the Motive-Oriented Therapeutic Relationship (MOTR), based on Plan Analysis (Caspar, 2007) in the early-phase treatment of patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. The investigators intend to include N = 80 outpatients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, consulting at the Outpatient Personality Disorder Program of the Karl Jaspers Clinical Unit, in collaboration with the Institute of Psychotherapy, at the Department of Psychiatry-CHUV, University of Lausanne and in collaboration with the University of Berne, Switzerland. Patients are assigned by chance to two treatment conditions 1) Control condition (General Psychiatric Management; Gunderson & Links, 2008) and 2) MOTR-condition. The investigators hypothesize better results in the MOTR-condition, as compared to the control condition in terms of symptom reduction pre-post. The conduct of the study represents a significant contribution to the understanding and enhancement of relationship aspects in the treatment of patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder which may be of potential benefit for these patients.

The primary aim is to investigate the effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Group Therapy (ERGT) for women who self-harm in ordinary psychiatric outpatient health care.

This study investigates the hypothesis that instability in mood in patients with borderline personality disorder will respond the mood stabilizing medication lamotrigine.

This study will compare the effectiveness of two treatments, dialectical behavior therapy versus fluoxetine with clinical management, for reducing the risk of self-injury and suicidal behavior in people with borderline personality disorder.

In patients with schizophrenia, 'atypical' antipsychotics such as clozapine may be effective in the treatment of psychosis. In patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD), as far as the investigators know, no well designed controlled studies have been performed on the effect of one of the newer atypical antipsychotics on psychotic symptoms. It is of interest to investigate the benefit of quetiapine treatment in these types of patients. Quetiapine possibly gives less side-effects because of the expected lack of elevated prolactin levels, which is of importance in this patient group, overrepresented by young females. In this double blind, randomized, placebo controlled, 8 week, parallel group, multi-center study, quetiapine (in flexible doses between 200 mg/day and 600 mg/day) will be compared with the placebo.

This study examines the effect of Depakote ER versus placebo in a randomized trial of borderline personality disorder. Patients all participate in DBT therapy and those who are not responsive are assigned to either Depakote ER or placebo for up to 12 weeks. Borderline Personality Symtoms are measured and side-effects are assessed.

This study will determine the effectiveness of a peer support system in increasing physical activity and effecting health behavior change in people with serious mental illnesses.