Group DBT Skills Training for First Episode Psychosis
ConditionPsychosis
Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age14-35
SponsorCentre for Addiction and Mental Health
About this trial
Psychosis is a serious mental health condition that can affect how a person thinks, feels, and functions in daily life, often making it harder to maintain relationships, continue education, or work. Even with standard treatment, many people continue to experience emotional distress, depression, anxiety, and difficulty coping with strong emotions. These challenges can worsen recovery, increase the risk of substance use and suicidal behaviour, and place a significant burden on individuals, families, and the healthcare system.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a skills-based psychological treatment that helps people manage emotions, tolerate distress, and improve relationships. Although DBT has been effective in other mental health conditions, it has not been well studied in people with first-episode psychosis.
This study will evaluate an 8-week group DBT skills training adapted for individuals with first-episode psychosis. The study aims to assess whether the program is acceptable and feasible to deliver, and whether it may improve emotion regulation, mood, resilience, and functioning. Findings will inform whether a larger clinical trial of this intervention should be conducted.
Eligibility criteria
Qualifiers
Be 14-35 years old.
All gender identities are eligible to participate.
Being competent as demonstrated by comprehension of the study procedures, risks, benefits and their rights as a volunteer in the research study and willing to consent to study participation.
Meets criteria for a psychotic spectrum disorder as determined by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (e.g., schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, brief psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, other specified schizophrenia spectrum disorder, or other unspecified schizophrenia spectrum disorder), or bipolar disorder with psychotic features, and is within 3 years of their initial diagnosis.
Disqualifiers
Diagnosis of intellectual disability previously documented in the patient chart.
Acute suicidality requiring immediate life-saving intervention (i.e., inpatient psychiatric care).
Receiving any additional structured psychotherapy interventions during the study period.
Trial design
Treatments tested in this trial
- group DBT
Treatment groups
32 Participants
are divided into 1 treatment groupLocations
Sponsors and collaborators
Source ClinicalTrials.gov