BOSCOT : A Randomised Controlled Trial of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in Borderline Personality Disorder

University of Aberdeen

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 3

Conditions: Borderline Personality Disorder

Treatments: Other: Treatment as usual; Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00538135

064027/Z/01/Z

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of the study was to investigate if the addition of cognitive behavioural therapy to treatment as usual (CBT plus TAU) in participants with borderline personality disorder would decrease the number of participants with emergency (i.e. unplanned) psychiatric or accident and emergency room contact or episode of deliberate self-harm over twelve months treatment and twelve months follow-up, compared with treatment as usual (TAU). The study also examined whether CBT plus TAU would lead to superior improvement in quality of life, social, cognitive and mental health functioning than TAU alone.

Full description

The trial is being carried out in three centres in the UK: Glasgow, London and Ayrshire (Ayrshire and Arran). Treatment as Usual (TAU) therefore reflected what is likely to be available in the UK.

Patients were eligible if they satisfied the following criteria:

1. Aged between 18 and 65.
2. Met criteria for at least 5 items of the borderline personality disorder using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM IV Axis II Personality Disorders (SCID -II)(First, Gibbon, Spitzer, Williams & Benjamin, 1997)
3. Had received either in-patient psychiatric services or an assessment at Accident and Emergency services or an episode of deliberate self-harm (either suicidal act or self-mutilation) in the previous 12 months.
4. Able to give informed consent.

Exclusion criteria were as follows:

1. Currently receiving in-patient treatment for a mental state disorder,
2. Currently receiving a systematic psychological therapy or specialist service, particularly psychodynamic psychotherapy,
3. Insufficient knowledge of English to enable them to be assessed adequately and to understand the treatment approach,
4. Temporarily resident in the area,
5. The existence of an organic illness, mental impairment, alcohol or drug dependence, schizophrenia or bipolar affective disorder, as assessed by SCID I,/P (W/ Psychotic Screen)(version 2) (First, Spitzer, Gibbon, Williams, 1996).

Enrollment: 106 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Aged between 18 and 65.
2. Met criteria for at least 5 items of the borderline personality disorder using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM IV Axis II Personality Disorders (SCID -II)(First, Gibbon, Spitzer, Williams & Benjamin, 1997)
3. Had received either in-patient psychiatric services or an assessment at Accident and Emergency services or an episode of deliberate self-harm (either suicidal act or self-mutilation) in the previous 12 months.
4. Able to give informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

1. Currently receiving in-patient treatment for a mental state disorder,
2. Currently receiving a systematic psychological therapy or specialist service, particularly psychodynamic psychotherapy,
3. Insufficient knowledge of English to enable them to be assessed adequately and to understand the treatment approach,
4. Temporarily resident in the area,
5. The existence of an organic illness, mental impairment, alcohol or drug dependence, schizophrenia or bipolar affective disorder, as assessed by SCID I,/P (W/ Psychotic Screen)(version 2) (First, Spitzer, Gibbon, Williams, 1996).

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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106 participants in 2 patient groups

1

Experimental group

Description:

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy plus Treatment as Usual (CBT plus TAU) for borderline personality disorder. CBT is a structured, time limited, psycho-social intervention developed to treat Cluster B personality disorder. Patients are encouraged to engage in treatment through a formulation of their problems within a cognitive framework. Interventions focus on the patient's beliefs and behaviour that impair social and adaptive functioning. Thirty sessions of CBT over one year, each lasting up to one hour, are required to work on long-standing problems and develop new ways of thinking and behaving. Priority is given to behaviours that cause harm to self or others. In addition, participants received the usual treatment they would have received if the trial had not been in place

Treatment:

Other: Treatment as usual

Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

2

Active Comparator group

Description:

Treatment as Usual. All participants received the standard treatment (TAU) they would have received if the trial had not been in place. Although standard treatment may vary across the three sites, and depend on the specific problems of the individual participant, it was thought that all participants would be in contact with mental health services and would have some contact with Accident and Emergency services for repeated self-harm episodes. TAU will be documented carefully after each patient exits the trial.

Treatment:

Other: Treatment as usual