Many autistic people in mental health are suicidal. This study evaluated the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) v. treatment as usual (TAU) in reducing suicidal ideation and suicide attempts.

At six Dutch mental health centers, 123 outpatients (18–65 years) with DSM-5 diagnosed autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and suicidal behavior were randomly assigned to the DBT intervention group (n = 63) or TAU control group (n = 60). Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-treatment at 6 months and 12-month follow-up. The primary outcomes were severity of suicidal ideation and frequency of suicide attempts. The severity of depression and social anxiety were secondary outcomes.

At end-of-treatment, DBT significantly reduced both suicidal ideation (z = −2.24; p = 0.025; b = −4.41; s.e. = 197.0) and suicide attempts (z = −3.15; p = 0.002; IRR = 0.046; s.e. = 0.045) compared to TAU, but lost statistical significance at the 12-month follow-up. Depression severity significantly decreased with DBT (z = −1.99; p = 0.046: b = −2.74; s.e. = 1.37) remaining so at 12 months (z = −2.46; p = 0.014; b = −3.37; s.e. = 1.37). No effects were observed on social anxiety. Severe adverse events included two suicides in the TAU condition.

DBT is an acceptable, safe, and short-term effective intervention to reduce suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in autistic adults with suicidal behavior.

The modulation of brain circuits of emotion is a promising pathway to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD). Precise and scalable approaches have yet to be established. Two studies investigating the amygdala-related electrical fingerprint (Amyg-EFP) in BPD are presented: one study addressing the deep-brain correlates of Amyg-EFP, and a second study investigating neurofeedback (NF) as a means to improve brain self-regulation.

Study 1 combined electroencephalography (EEG) and simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the replicability of Amyg-EFP-related brain activation found in the reference dataset (N = 24 healthy subjects, 8 female; re-analysis of published data) in the replication dataset (N = 16 female individuals with BPD). In the replication dataset, we additionally explored how the Amyg-EFP would map to neural circuits defined by the research domain criteria. Study 2 investigated a 10-session Amyg-EFP NF training in parallel to a 12-weeks residential dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) program. Fifteen patients with BPD completed the training, N = 15 matched patients served as DBT-only controls.

Study 1 replicated previous findings and showed significant amygdala blood oxygenation level dependent activation in a whole-brain regression analysis with the Amyg-EFP. Neurocircuitry activation (negative affect, salience, and cognitive control) was correlated with the Amyg-EFP signal. Study 2 showed Amyg-EFP modulation with NF training, but patients received reversed feedback for technical reasons, which limited interpretation of results.

Recorded via scalp EEG, the Amyg-EFP picks up brain activation of high relevance for emotion. Administering Amyg-EFP NF in addition to standardized BPD treatment was shown to be feasible. Clinical utility remains to be investigated.

Recent findings suggest that brief dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for borderline personality disorder is effective for reducing self-harm, but it remains unknown which patients are likely to improve in brief v. 12 months of DBT. Research is needed to identify patient characteristics that moderate outcomes. Here, we characterized changes in cognition across brief DBT (DBT-6) v. a standard 12-month course (DBT-12) and examined whether cognition predicted self-harm outcomes in each arm.

In this secondary analysis of 240 participants in the FASTER study (NCT02387736), cognitive measures were administered at pre-treatment, after 6 months, and at 12 months. Self-harm was assessed from pre-treatment to 2-year follow-up. Multilevel models characterized changes in cognition across treatment. Generalized estimating equations examined whether pre-treatment cognitive performance predicted self-harm outcomes in each arm.

Cognitive performance improved in both arms after 6 months of treatment, with no between-arm differences at 12-months. Pre-treatment inhibitory control was associated with different self-harm outcomes in DBT-6 v. DBT-12. For participants with average inhibitory control, self-harm outcomes were significantly better when assigned to DBT-12, relative to DBT-6, at 9–18 months after initiating treatment. In contrast, participants with poor inhibitory control showed better self-harm outcomes when assigned to brief DBT-6 v. DBT-12, at 12–24 months after initiating treatment.

This work represents an initial step toward an improved understanding of patient profiles that are best suited to briefer v. standard 12 months of DBT, but observed effects should be replicated in a waitlist-controlled study to confirm that they were treatment-specific.

Current psychological trauma-focused interventions have left a gap for individuals who may not be ready for trauma-focused treatment and/or who present with other forms of clinically significant distress, such as subthreshold post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Emotion regulation is a possible transdiagnostic mechanism of change that may promote and maintain some of the varied mental health problems related to trauma exposure.

This study examines the feasibility and initial impact of two brief emotion regulation skill trainings targeting different processes hypothesized to reduce trauma-related problems, compared with an active control.

Subjects (n = 156) were randomized to receive one of three brief internet-based trainings: (1) skill training on accepting emotions, (2) skill training on changing emotions, or (3) stress psychoeducation (control). Participants completed measures of emotion regulation, mindfulness, and affect intensity 24 hours pre- and immediately post-training.

Results suggested that a brief internet-based skills training programme was feasible and acceptable, with 91.9% completing the training programme to which they were randomized. Results showed that participants in all conditions demonstrated significant decreases in emotion regulation problems over time; yet these improvements did not vary by condition. Participants in the Change condition with higher PTSD symptoms were significantly more likely to have greater increases in positive affect compared with those with lower PTSD symptoms.

Although the three conditions did not show different outcomes, all three brief internet-delivered trainings were feasible. Results provide direction for future studies to evaluate the delivery of emotion regulation skills in individuals with trauma-related distress.

Early weak treatment response is one of the few trans-diagnostic, treatment-agnostic predictors of poor outcome following a full treatment course. We sought to improve the outcome of clients with weak initial response to guided self-help cognitive behavior therapy (GSH).

One hundred and nine women with binge-eating disorder (BED) or bulimia nervosa (BN) (DSM-IV-TR) received 4 weeks of GSH. Based on their response, they were grouped into: (1) early strong responders who continued GSH (cGSH), and early weak responders randomized to (2) dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), or (3) individual and additional group cognitive behavior therapy (CBT+).

Baseline objective binge-eating-day (OBD) frequency was similar between DBT, CBT+ and cGSH. During treatment, OBD frequency reduction was significantly slower in DBT and CBT+ relative to cGSH. Relative to cGSH, OBD frequency was significantly greater at the end of DBT (d = 0.27) and CBT+ (d = 0.31) although these effects were small and within-treatment effects from baseline were large (d = 1.41, 0.95, 1.11, respectively). OBD improvements significantly diminished in all groups during 12 months follow-up but were significantly better sustained in DBT relative to cGSH (d = −0.43). At 6- and 12-month follow-up assessments, DBT, CBT and cGSH did not differ in OBD.

Early weak response to GSH may be overcome by additional intensive treatment. Evidence was insufficient to support superiority of either DBT or CBT+ for early weak responders relative to early strong responders in cGSH; both were helpful. Future studies using adaptive designs are needed to assess the use of early response to efficiently deliver care to large heterogeneous client groups.