Mindfulness for Intense Emotions: A Feasibility Trial

Canterbury Christ Church University

Overview

This study explores the feasibility of a mindfulness-based intervention for people with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder.

This is an uncontrolled feasibility trial of an eight-week mindfulness-based intervention for people with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. A battery of measures will be administered at baseline, in a time window of six to zero weeks prior to the start of the intervention. Outcome measures will be repeated in the two weeks after the end of the eight-week intervention, along with a qualitative interview.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Conditions

Borderline Personality Disorder

Interventions

Mindfulness-based interventionBEHAVIORAL

A version of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy that has been adapted for people with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. This comprises eight weekly session, each lasting ninety minutes.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion criteria: * Are on the caseload of a United Kingdom National Health Service Assessment and Treatment Service in the recruitment area and have had contact with that service in the past three months * Have received the diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder from a suitably qualified health care professional, and continue to meet criteria for this diagnosis according to the SCID-II (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders Version II) at their screening assessment * Have sufficient English language speaking and comprehension abilities to access group discussions and hand-out materials * Have not previously engaged in a mindfulness-based intervention. As in other similar trials, a minimum dose has been operationally defined as having undertaken 50% or more of a mindfulness-based intervention delivered face-to-face by a suitably qualified health care professional * Are not currently receiving, nor have plans to receive any other form of psychological therapy during the course of the study Exclusion criteria: * Have psychosis * Misuse alcohol or drug to a level that requiring detox * Have a intellectual disability * Present a high level of risk requiring inpatient management at the time of their screening assessment

Locations (1)

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Brighton, Sussex, United Kingdom

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Participant retention in percent

The number of participants who remain in the study at the post-intervention time point divided by the number of participants who are recruited into the study at baseline, expressed as a percentage

Time frame: At post-intervention (i.e. 8 weeks after the start of the intervention).

Secondary Outcomes

Change from baseline at post-intervention in the Difficulties in the Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)