Table 3. Randomized controlled trials of DBT.
| Study | N | Type Participant | Mean Age | % Male | No. of Treatment Sessions | Control Group(s) | Main Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linehan et al., 1991 | 46 | Chronically parasuicidal patients with BPD | NR | 0 | 1 year | TAU (22) | DBT > TAU: reductions in number of & medical severity of parasuicide behavior & number of psychiatric inpatient days, treatment retention; DBT = TAU: depression, hopelessness, suicidal ideation, & reasons for living |
| Linehan et al., 1993* | 39 | Chronically parasuicidal patients with BPD | NR | 0 | 1 year | TAU (20) | DBT > TAU: increases in global functioning & social adjustment, reductions in parasuicide behavior & number of psychiatric inpatient days |
| Linehan et al., 1994* | 26 | Chronically parasuicidal patients with BPD | 27 | 0 | 1 year | TAU (13) | DBT > TAU: reductions in anger, increases in global social adjustment & global functioning |
| Linehan et al., 1999 | 28 | Patients with comorbid BPD and substance dependence | 30 | 0 | 1 year | TAU (16) | DBT > TAU: reductions in drug use, increased global & social adjustment, & treatment retention |
| Turner, 2000** | 24 | Patients with BPD | 22 | 21 | 1 year | CCT (12) | DBT > CCT: reductions in parasuicide behavior, suicidal ideation, depression, impulsivity, anger, & number of psychiatric inpatient days, & increase in global functioning |
| Koons et al., 2001 | 28 | Patients with BPD | 35 | 0 | 6 months | TAU (14) | DBT > TAU: reductions in suicidal ideation, depression, hopelessness, dissociation, & anger expression |
| Telch et al., 2001** | 44 | Patients with BED | 50 | 0 | 20 weeks | WL (22) | DBT > WL: reductions in number of binge episodes & days; DBT = WL: improvements in mood & affect regulation |
| Safer et al., 2001** | 31 | Individuals with at least one binge/purge episode per week | 34 | 0 | 20 weeks | WL (16) | DBT > WL: reductions in number of binge episodes & days; DBT = WL: improvements in mood & affect regulation |
| Linehan et al., 2002 | 23 | Patients with comorbid BPD and substance dependence | NR | 0 | 1 year | CVT+12S (12) | DBT = CVT+12S: drug use; DBT > CVT+12S: maintenance of reduction of drug use throughout treatment; DBT < CVT+12S: treatment retention |
| Verheul et al., 2003 | 58 | Patients with BPD | 35 | 0 | 1 year | TAU (31) | DBT > TAU: reductions in self-mutilating & self harm behaviors, treatment retention |
| Lynch et al., 2003** | 34 | Depressed patients | 66 | 15 | 28 weeks | MED (17) (Note: In this study, MED was compared against MED+DBT) | DBT > MED: reduction in depression, improvements in dependency & adaptive coping, number of patients in remission at post-treatment |
| Linehan et al., 2006 | 101 | Patients with BPD | 30 | 0 | 1 year | CTBE (49) | DBT > CTBE: reductions in suicide risk, medical risk of suicide attempts & self injurious behavior, psychiatric hospitalizations & emergency visits, treatment retention |
| Lynch et al., 2007** | 35 | Patients with co-morbid depression and personality disorder | 61 | 34 | 24 weeks | MED (14) (Note: In this study, MED was compared against MED+DBT) | DBT > MED: reductions in interpersonal sensitivity & interpersonal aggression |
*
Notes. Results were followup from Linehan et al. (1991);
**
Modified DBT was delivered in these studies
NR = Not Reported; BPD = Borderline Personality Disorder; TAU = Treatment As Usual; BED = Binge Eating Disorder; WL = Waiting List; CVT+12S = Comprehensive Validation Therapy with 12-Step; MED = Antidepressant Medication; CTBE = Community Treatment by Experts.