None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The presence of deficits in the sphere of social cognition in patients with BPD has been amply demonstrated in the literature over the past decades. The distorted perception and understanding of social signals as well as the production of ambiguous or difficult-to-read social signals contribute significantly to the instability of interpersonal relationships and other BPD-related psychopathological features that occur in social contexts. At present, the literature on cognitive remedial interventions in BPD, especially in the area of social cognition, is scarce; therefore, the results of this study could provide useful new evidence and inspire the launch of an outpatient project to be shared with other clinical settings, both hospital and territorial.
Interventions
Interventions:
10 rehabilitation sessions using the SoCIAL program. Session are delivered weekly (10 weeks program), individually, face-to-face
Structure of each session:
First module (30 minutes)
The first module uses multimedia material as an aid in the recognition training of basic emotions and secondary, social emotions. In practical terms, the therapist shows the patient some photographs of actors reproducing the typical mimicry of a basic emotion (fear, sadness, happiness, angry, disgust a
Interventions: 10 rehabilitation sessions using the SoCIAL program. Session are delivered weekly (10 weeks program), individually, face-to-face Structure of each session: First module (30 minutes) The first module uses multimedia material as an aid in the recognition training of basic emotions and secondary, social emotions. In practical terms, the therapist shows the patient some photographs of actors reproducing the typical mimicry of a basic emotion (fear, sadness, happiness, angry, disgust and neutral) at different intensities. The patient is then asked to recognize the proposed emotion. During this activity it is possible to guide the patient in identifying peculiar interpretative tendencies, such as a possible susceptibility to negative emotions or a tendency to perceive the other as angry or hostile. The operation is repeated on film clips showing some simple social interactions with an attached emotional component. Finally, video material showing more complex interaction and addressing Theory of Mind skills is presented. Multimedia material is provided by Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli," Naples, Italy. Second module (30 minutes) The second part of the session includes the narrative enhancement module, specifically developed for the metacognitive skills of recognizing and integrating mental states, such as emotions desires, attitudes and goals, in real-life situations. The patient and therapist analyze together relational or social situations experienced in everyday life, with the aim of apply the skills discussed in the first module. It is a semi-structured intervention, with the possibility to personalize any session according to subjectives deficits, skills or necessities. The intervention is administered by two psychiatry residents with at least three years of experience (one therapist conducing the talk and one reporting annotations for later discussion). A supervision carried out by an expert psychiatrist in taking place once per month. Each therapist involved in SoCIAL intervention followed a two-days class held from the Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli," Naples, Italy. Setting: outpatient clinics in the SC Psichiatria Universitaria of "AOU Cittá della Salute e della Scienza" Hospital, Turin, Italy. Patients are not allowed to skip or delay more than two sessions. In this case they will be considered as drop-outs.
Sponsors
University of Turin
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Primary purpose
Treatment
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Consecutive (18-60 years), outpatients with a diagnosis of BPD according to DSM-5 criteria will be enrolled. The diagnosis is made by evaluation by experienced clinicians and by administration of SCID-5 (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 personality disorders).
Exclusion criteria
a) presence of neuropsychiatric comorbidities, assessed according to DSM-5 criteria and including: neurodevelopmental disorders; neurocognitive disorders; schizophrenia and schizophrenic spectrum disorders; bipolar disorder b) concomitant major depressive episode and/or active substance use; c) symptomatological severity judged by the clinician to be incompatible with the intervention setting
Outcome results
None listed