Comparing Treatments for Self-Injury and Suicidal Behavior in People With Borderline Personality Disorder

Treating Suicidal Behavior and Self-Mutilation in Borderline Personality Disorder: Predictors of Change

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Suicide; Borderline Personality Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Fluoxetine; Drug: Citalopram; Behavioral: DBT

Detailed Description

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a chronic disorder in emotional regulation and is characterized by instability in self-image, mood, relationships, and behavior. People suffering from BPD have a high rate of self-injury and suicide attempts. This study will compare the effectiveness of two treatments for preventing self-injury and suicide in people with BPD: dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and fluoxetine with clinical management. DBT is a behavioral therapy that teaches new coping skills to replace old strategies, including self-injury and attempted suicide. Fluoxetine is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medication that has been used to treat BPD. Clinical management of fluoxetine, which is involved in administering the medication under normal conditions, refers to regular visits with a psychiatrist who will monitor medication effectiveness and side effects. Clinical management in this study may include adjusting the dosage of fluoxetine or prescribing a change in medication to citalopram, another SSRI.

Participation in this study will last 12 months, including all follow-up assessments. During the first study visit, participants will undergo baseline testing and be randomly assigned to receive either DBT or fluoxetine with clinical management. After a washout period, in which participants will transition off any medications they are currently taking, participants will receive 6 months of their assigned treatment. Participants receiving DBT will attend one 60-minute individual therapy session and one 90-minute group session every week. Participants assigned to the fluoxetine with clinical management condition will begin receiving 20 mg of fluoxetine daily and have their dose increased over the course of 4 weeks, based on tolerance, up to 40 mg. Participants assigned to fluoxetine may also be switched to citalopram, if the study psychiatrist thinks it will be more effective. Participants assigned to either fluoxetine or citalopram will undergo monthly blood tests to monitor the level of medication in their bodies.

Every 2 weeks, participants will undergo assessments of treatment effectiveness and side effects. After 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12 months, participants will undergo various neuropsychological tests and clinical interviews and self-report questionnaires about mood and life experiences. At study entry and at Weeks 12 and 24, participants will use a handheld computer to complete a week-long assessment of emotions. Fully healthy female participants will be asked to complete a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan, which will assess their ability to regulate emotions at the neural level. The fMRI scan and a stress test (for both men and women) will be performed at baseline and after 6 months.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 84
• Phase: Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • New York, New York, United States, 10032
      • New York State Psychiatric Institute

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Meets Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD)
• Attempted suicide in the past 2 months
• At least one additional suicide attempt, suicide-related behavior, or self-injury episode in the past year
• Current suicidal ideation
• Able to be managed as an outpatient
• Not currently receiving optimum psychiatric treatment and agrees to notify study staff if any psychiatric care outside this study is sought. If care other than that permitted by the protocol is utilized, participants can no longer be enrolled in the study.
• Has a stable living arrangement at study entry
• Speaks English
• Willing and judged to be clinically able to undergo wash-out of psychotropic medications, except for occasional benzodiazepines use, for 2 to 6 weeks before treatment
• Females must be willing to use an effective method of birth control.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Meets the DSM-IV criteria for mental retardation or the following disorders: bipolar I, schizophrenia, delusional disorder, schizophreniform disorder, schizoaffective disorder, or psychotic disorder not otherwise specified (NOS)
• Needs priority treatment for acute medical illness or other debilitating problem, such as severe substance dependence or anorexia
• Pregnant
• Clinically too unstable to be maintained as an outpatient
• Has clearly failed adequate trials of fluoxetine and citalopram for a major depression in the past 2 years
• History of severe allergies, adverse drug reactions, or known allergy to fluoxetine or citalopram
• Clinically inadvisable for the participant to end current treatment
• Heart pacemaker body implant; other metal implants, such as shrapnel or surgical prostheses; or paramagnetic objects contained within the body, as assessed via a metal screening questionnaire, which may present a risk to the participant or interfere with the fMRI scan
• Diagnosed with Raynaud's disorder
• History of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, or abnormal electrocardiograms (EKGs)
• Claustrophobia or significant discomfort in enclosed space

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Fluoxetine; Participants will receive fluoxetine with clinical management, which may involve switching medication to citalopram, another SSRI.	Drug: Fluoxetine; Starting dose of 20 mg daily will increase over 4 weeks, depending on tolerability, up to 40 mg daily. Treatment will last 6 months.; Other Names: Prozac; Drug: Citalopram; Dose set by study psychiatrist, up to 60 mg daily. Treatment will last 6 months.; Other Names: Celexa
Active Comparator: Dialectical behavior therapy; Participants will receive dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT).	Behavioral: DBT; One 60-minute individual therapy session and one 90-minute group therapy session every week. Treatment will last 6 months.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Suicide Events	Data on suicidal behavior was collected with the Columbia Suicide History Interview (CSHI), a semi-structured interview developed by our group. It is used to elicit history of the individual's actual suicide attempts , as well as specific questions concerning the circumstances surrounding any suicidal behavior and its degree of medical lethality. In addition to obtaining measurements of actual suicide attempts, the CSHI also captures suicide-related behaviors such as aborted and interrupted suicide attempts. An actual suicide attempt is operationally defined by the CSHI as a self-injurious act performed with at least some intent to die.	Measured after 6 months of treatment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Participants With Suicide Events	Data on suicidal behavior was collected with the Columbia Suicide History Interview (CSHI), a semi-structured interview developed by our group. It is used to elicit history of the individual's actual suicide attempts , as well as specific questions concerning the circumstances surrounding any suicidal behavior and its degree of medical lethality. In addition to obtaining measurements of actual suicide attempts, the CSHI also captures suicide-related behaviors such as aborted and interrupted suicide attempts. An actual suicide attempt is operationally defined by the CSHI as a self-injurious act performed with at least some intent to die.	measured after 6 months of treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: New York State Psychiatric Institute
• Collaborators: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Barbara H. Stanley, PhD, New York State Psychiatric Institute

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Witt KG, Hetrick SE, Rajaram G, Hazell P, Taylor Salisbury TL, Townsend E, Hawton K. Psychosocial interventions for self-harm in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021 Apr 22;4:CD013668. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013668.pub2.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: March 1, 2009
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 1, 2015
• Study Completion (Actual): August 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 2, 2009
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 2, 2009
• First Posted (Estimate): February 3, 2009

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 18, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 20, 2017
• Last Verified: July 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Suicidal and Self-Injurious Behavior
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Mental Disorders; Self-Injurious Behavior; Personality Disorders; Suicide; Borderline Personality Disorder; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Enzyme Inhibitors; Psychotropic Drugs; Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors; Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors; Membrane Transport Modulators; Serotonin Agents; Antidepressive Agents; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inhibitors; Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2D6 Inhibitors; Citalopram; Fluoxetine
• Other Study ID Numbers: #5752/6777R; R01MH061017 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); R01MH061017-06A2 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No