Group Dialectical Behavior Therapy as add-on Treatment for Adults With Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder

Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre

Status

Completed

Conditions

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Treatments

Other: Treatment as Usual

Behavioral: Skill Training Group of the Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT03326427

65041316400005327 (Other Identifier)

17-0358

Details and patient eligibility

About

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) in adults is associated with global impairments and deficits in quality of life. The ADHD functional impairments during adulthood usually persist even after adequate medication treatment. The Skill Training Group of the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is one of the group therapies that had been adapted for the specific treatment of ADHD patients. Our primary aim is to explore the feasibility of the approach in different culture and to evaluate the efficacy of the Skill Training Group as an add-on treatment for adults using ADHD medication. This is a Randomized Clinical Trial comparing the Skill Training Group added to stimulants to treatment as usual. 52 adults previously diagnosed with ADHD and treated with stimulants in our ADHD outpatient program will be enrolled. Only patients with residual symptoms will be included (ADHD-Self Report Scale - ASRS ≥ 20). The intervention comprises the standard 12 sessions therapy program. The groups will have between 8 and 12 patients each, and will be conducted by a trained DBT therapist with supervision from a senior DBT therapist. The primary outcome will be the ASRS scores. Secondary outcomes include scores in ADHD Quality of Life, Beck's Depression Inventory, Beck's Anxiety Inventory, and performance in a neuropsychological test (difference between pre and post-intervention) (Stop Signal Task). Adherence to the protocol will also be checked. The recruitment was initially scheduled for beginning in November.

Enrollment

31 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18 to 60 years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Patients with ADHD
Medicated with following drugs and minimum daily dosages:

Methylphenidate ≥ 0.5 mg/kg Lisdexamfetamine ≥ 30mg Bupropion ≥ 150 mg Modafinil ≥ 200mg Imipramine ≥ 1mg/kg

At least one month of stabilized dosage for any psychiatric medication.
ADHD-Self Report Scale ≥ 20.
Knowledge of oral and written communication in Portuguese
IQ>85 (intelligence quotient)

Exclusion criteria

diagnoses of Borderline or Anti-social personality disorders.
diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder
current episode of major depression or suicide toughs
current episodes of mania or hypomania
recent episodes of drug abuse (last 6 months)
diagnoses of drug dependence
patients that change their medications or their psychiatric conditions in the exclusion criteria above after the beginning of the protocol will have their data censored, but included in the intention to treat analyses. These patients will keep the right to attend all the sessions in the protocol at their discretion.