Please select the arm or intervention descriptions that belong to the clinical trial below.
Title: Sequential Brief Adlerian Psychodynamic Psychotherapy in Heavy Users of a Mental Health Service With Borderline Personality Disorder: a Two Years Follow-up Preliminary Randomized Study.
Brief Summary: Subjects affected with severe Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) are often heavy users of Mental Health Services (MHS). This study evaluates the efficacy of the addition of Sequential Brief Adlerian Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (SB-APP) to the treatment-as-usual (TAU) for BPD compared to the TAU alone for a naturalistic group of heavy MHS users with BPD. The efficacy was evaluated after at 6 time points along a two years of follow-up.

Thirty-five outpatients eligible for the study were randomly assigned to two treatment groups (TAU=17; SB-APP=18). The Clinical Global Impression (CGI) and the CGI-modified (CGI-M) for BPD, the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), and the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (SCL-90-R) were administered at T1, T3, T6, T12, T18, and T24. At T12 also the Working Alliance Inventory-Short Form (WAI-S) was filled-in by participants and compared between groups. In the one-year follow-up the SB-APP group did not receive any individual psychological support. MHS was specifically trained in BPD treatment and had regular supervisions.

Scores of the CGI, GAF, and STAXI improved after 6 and 12 months, irrespective of treatment. SB-APP group displayed a better outcome for impulsivity, suicide attempts, chronic feelings of emptiness and disturbed relationships. The results displayed a good stabilization during follow-up year even after the interruption of psychotherapy in the SB-APP group.

Even though the TAU for BPD applied to heavy MSH users displayed some efficacy in reducing symptom expression and improving global functioning, the adjunct of a specific time-limited and focused psychotherapeutic treatment reached a better outcome. In particular the possibility of a focus on patients' personality functioning (SB-APP) with a specific psychotherapeutic approach seemed to be more effective than the general support to social impairment offered by the TAU approach.


Options:
A: Arm Label: 1; Type: EXPERIMENTAL; Interventions: Behavioral: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) | Arm Label: 2; Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR; Interventions: Behavioral: Brief PTSD treatment | Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL; Name: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT); Assigned to Arm(s): 1 | Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL; Name: Brief PTSD treatment; Assigned to Arm(s): 2
B: Arm Label: SB-APP Psychotherapy; Type: EXPERIMENTAL; Interventions: Other: SB-APP | Arm Label: TAU treatment; Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR; Interventions: Other: treatment as usual | Intervention Type: OTHER; Name: SB-APP; Assigned to Arm(s): SB-APP Psychotherapy | Intervention Type: OTHER; Name: treatment as usual; Assigned to Arm(s): TAU treatment
C: Arm Label: TFP; Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR; Interventions: Behavioral: Transference-Focused Psychotherapy | Arm Label: ECP; Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR; Interventions: Behavioral: treatment by experienced community psychotherapists | Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL; Name: Transference-Focused Psychotherapy; Assigned to Arm(s): TFP | Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL; Name: treatment by experienced community psychotherapists; Assigned to Arm(s): ECP
D: Arm Label: Combined psychotherapy; Type: EXPERIMENTAL; Interventions: Behavioral: Combined psychotherapy | Arm Label: Outpatient individual psychotherapy; Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR; Interventions: Behavioral: Outpatient individual psychotherapy | Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL; Name: Combined psychotherapy; Assigned to Arm(s): Combined psychotherapy | Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL; Name: Outpatient individual psychotherapy; Assigned to Arm(s): Outpatient individual psychotherapy

Answer: B