An interventional study of Enhanced Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training and Dialectical Behavior Therapy in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Public Health, sponsored by Hospital Dr Sotero del Rio. Recruiting at 7 sites in Chile. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-15.
Sponsored by Hospital Dr Sotero del Rio · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) holds the strongest empirical support for the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). However, in Chile-as in much of Latin America-the availability of DBT falls significantly short of meeting patient demand. Despite its demonstrated efficacy, the duration of DBT and its multicomponent structure pose challenges for implementation and dissemination, particularly within public healthcare settings.
This study aims to compare the clinical effectiveness of a 12-week DBT skills training group (12w-DBT-ST) with a quasi-standard 6-month DBT program (24w-DBT) and treatment as usual (TAU) for individuals with BPD in routine public mental health services. The primary hypothesis is that 12w-DBT-ST will be equivalent to the quasi-standard 24w-DBT and superior to TAU in reducing suicidal and self-harming behaviors.
277 studies on the registry are indexed under Borderline Personality Disorder; 68 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 360 is above the median of 70 across 222 interventional studies indexed under Borderline Personality Disorder.
Browse Borderline Personality Disorder studies →Hospital Dr Sotero del Rio is the lead sponsor of 3 studies on the registry; 2 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
- Meet at least four criteria of BPD according to SCID-II
Exclusion Criteria:
Behavioral: Enhanced Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training
Behavioral: Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Behavioral: Treatment as Usual (TAU)
The intervention lasts 13 weeks and includes the following components: 1) Introductory Group for Orientation and Distress Tolerance DBT skills (2 hours per week during the first 4 weeks), Since week 2, weekly DBT skills-training group (2.5 hours; 12 weeks), 3) Weekly "check-in" phone calls throughout the 13 weeks, 4) Phone coaching for emergencies during business hours, 5) Weekly consultation team meeting (60.90 minutes)
The intervention begins with a "pretreatment" phase consisting of three to four preparatory individual psychotherapy sessions in which the therapeutic goals are defined, commitment is established, and the patient is oriented to the rules and procedures of therapy. Pretreatment is followed by standard Dialectical Behavior Therapy over 24 weeks, comprising: 1) a weekly DBT skills-training group (2.5 hrs.); 2) weekly individual DBT psychotherapy (45 min.); 3) Access to phone coaching during business hours (although standard DBT considers 24/7 access, this study arm involves only office-hour access plus orientation to using National Hotline); 4) weekly consultation team meeting (60 min.).
It corresponds to the standard treatment currently provided at any community mental health center in Chile, which consists of monthly or fortnightly individual standard psychotherapy sessions.
Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
General Psychopathology assessed by Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Outcome Measure (CORE-10)
Global psychological distress assessed weekly with the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - Outcome Measure (CORE-10), self-reported through the study app. Total score range 0-40; higher scores indicate greater distress. The full weekly trajectory will be analysed and reported using mixed-effects growth curve models.
Time frame: Weekly from baseline up to 6 months after the start of the allocated intervention
Borderline Symptom assessed by Borderline Symptom List (BSL-23)
Severity of borderline symptoms assessed weekly with the Borderline Symptom List (BSL-23), self-reported through the study app. Mean score range 0-4; higher scores indicate greater symptom severity. The full weekly trajectory will be analysed and reported using mixed-effects growth curve models.
Time frame: Weekly from baseline up to 6 months after the start of the allocated intervention
Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ)
The International Trauma Consortium (ITEM)
Time frame: Baseline
Level of Personal Functioning Scale - Brief Form 2.0 (LPFS-BF 2.0)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
Personality Inventory for DSM-5 - Brief Form (PID-5-BF+)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test v.3.0 (ASSIST v3.0)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 - 12-item version (WHODAS12)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
The Recovering Quality of Life 10-item (ReQoL-10)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
PROMIS Short Form v2.0 - Social Isolation 4a
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
Treatment Inventory of Costs in Patients with psychiatric disorders (TIC-P)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-II)
Time frame: Baseline, and 6 months
Negative Affect assessed by "Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule" (PANAS)
Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
Interpersonal reactiveness assessed by "Daily Stress Inventory" (DSI)
Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
Self-concept assess by "Self-Concept Clarity Scale" (SCCS)
Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
Started Jun 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Mar 2027, 21 months after the start.
Of 106 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Borderline Personality Disorder, half reached primary completion within 35 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 23 and three quarters within 53. This study's planned 21 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 108 studies reached it within 34 months; a quarter within 23 and three quarters within 53.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.
Contact study teamGet an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
Borderline Personality Disorder →
Hospital Dr Sotero del Rio