Assessment of Cost-effectiveness in Two Empirically-based Psychotherapies for Borderline Personality Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Patients suffering from borderline personality disorder (BPD) are considered frequent utilizers of psychiatric emergency rooms and of psychiatric hospitalizations. Nonetheless, recent studies challenge the effectiveness of psychiatric hospitalizations in reducing BPD symptoms, and some have even indicated potentially harmful effects such as increasing suicide risk post-discharge. These findings highlight the importance of effective outpatient treatments for BPD patients in public psychiatric hospital settings. In this study we aim to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of two empirically-based treatments for BPD: dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and dynamic deconstructive psychotherapy (DDP).