A Double-Blind, Placebo-controlled Pilot Study of NAC Addition to Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for the Treatment of Self-Injurious Behavior Associated With Borderline Personality Disorder
试验速览
- 阶段
- 2 期
- 状态
- 终止
- 入组人数
- 6
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- Self-Harm Inventory (SHI) Score at 6 Weeks
研究概览
简要总结
Self-Injurious Behavior (SIB) is a dangerous and common symptom in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) patients. Approximately 70% of patients with BPD engage in SIB at some point, compared to 17.5% of patients with other personality disorders. While SIB may prompt unnecessary psychiatric hospitalizations, it may also cause potential underestimation of the lethality of suicidal behavior, thus creating a major and confusing challenge in the practice of clinical psychiatry.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a collection of therapeutic techniques focused on emotional regulation, impulse control, and improving safety in patients with BPD and others with marked self-destructive behavioral tendencies. Though DBT has marked ability to reduce BPD symptomatology, including SIB, improvement in SIB is limited and dependent on extensive therapy and time.
Furthermore, the literature on the pharmacological treatment of SIB associated with BPD is scarce. Animal studies suggest that SIB may be associated with an imbalance between dopamine and glutamate in the brain. Anti-seizure medications that modulate glutamate transmission, such as lamotrigine and topiramate, have been suggested to be effective in the treatment of SIB in humans.
Preliminary evidence suggests that antiglutamatergic medications may decrease SIB in patients with BPD. Early studies have focused on the antiglutamatergic drug riluzole. More recently, we have become interested in the amino acid N-acetylcysteine (NAC), which is used clinically for its antioxidant properties and is widely available as a nutritional supplement. Recent animal studies have suggested that NAC can modulate glutamate in the central nervous system in a way very similar to that proposed for riluzole, and indeed we have observed NAC to have an effect similar to riluzole in a case of treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder.
This study will be a double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled evaluation of N-Acetylcysteine as an adjunct to DBT in the treatment of SIB associated with BPD. Subjects participating in this study will be recruited exclusively from the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy program of the Yale-New Haven Hospital, in order to maximize homogeneity of the psychotherapeutic care received during their participation.
详细描述
Investigators have withdrawn study due to poor subject compliance. After 3 consecutive participants were either unable to complete all 6 weeks of the study or dropped out of the DBT program, a decision was reached to discontinue recruitment and study was terminated.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Treatment
- 盲法
- Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 18 Years 至 65 Years（Adult, Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 否
入选标准
- •Borderline Personality Disorder, as assessed by SCID-II
- •A score of 10 or greater on the Self Harm Inventory (SHI) at time of evaluation
- •Ability to give informed consent
- •agreement to engage in a reliable form of birth control (women only)
排除标准
- •primary diagnosis of a psychotic disorder
- •active substance abuse or dependence
- •unstable medical condition
- •History of intolerance/allergic reaction to N-Acetylcysteine
- •pregnancy, breastfeeding, or intent to become pregnant during study
- •Inability to understand English
- •Cognitive Impairment
研究组 & 干预措施
N-Acetylcysteine
Patients randomized to this arm will receive N-Acetylcysteine augmentation, at a standard dose (3000 mg daily), in addition to the medication regimen they are on at enrollment
干预措施: N-Acetylcysteine (Drug)
placebo
Patients randomized to this arm will receive placebo, formulated to be indistinguishable from N-Acetylcysteine, in addition to the medication regimen they are on at study enrollment.
干预措施: placebo (Drug)
结局指标
主要结局
Self-Harm Inventory (SHI) Score at 6 Weeks
时间窗: 6 weeks
The Self-Harm Inventory is assessed by asking an individual to answer (yes or no) if they have ever "intentionally, or on purpose" tried to harm themselves. The inventory contains 22 questions and a 23rd marked "other" that allows the individual to indicate a self-harm behavior not previously mentioned. The scoring of this instrument is determined by counting the number of endorsed self-harm behaviors out of the possible twenty-three asked. The maximum score any individual may achieve for the SHI is a 23. Any individual scoring 5 or greater is classified as suffering from BPD. In this study, scoring on the SHI was primarily used to assess improvement of self-harming symptoms and throughout the study by comparing participant ratings from baseline and week 6. Positive numbers indicate a decrease (i.e. participant indicated less self-harming behavior) and negative numbers indicate an increase in self-harming behaviors reported.
Self-Harm Inventory (SHI) Score at Baseline
时间窗: Baseline
The Self-Harm Inventory is assessed by asking an individual to answer (yes or no) if they have ever "intentionally, or on purpose" tried to harm themselves. The inventory contains 22 questions and a 23rd marked "other" that allows the individual to indicate a self-harm behavior not previously mentioned. The scoring of this instrument is determined by counting the number of endorsed self-harm behaviors out of the possible twenty-three asked. The maximum score any individual may achieve for the SHI is a 23. Any individual scoring 5 or greater is classified as suffering from BPD. In this study, scoring on the SHI was primarily used to assess improvement of self-harming symptoms and throughout the study by comparing participant ratings from baseline and week 6. Positive numbers indicate a decrease (i.e. participant indicated less self-harming behavior) and negative numbers indicate an increase in self-harming behaviors reported.
次要结局
- Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) at 6 Weeks(6 weeks)
- Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) at Baseline(Baseline)