Effectiveness of DBT in patients with ASD and emotion regulation problems

This study was done to investigate the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy in patients with autism spectrum disorder and emotion-regulation problems. Many people with autism spectrum disorder have difficulty regulating their emotions and often participate in harmful and suicidal behaviors to cope with these emotions. To date, there is not a form of therapy that fully addresses these problems in people with autism spectrum disorder. Dialectical behavior therapy does address this difficulty with emotion regulation and suicidal behavior, but is not yet implemented as an official intervention for people with autism spectrum disorder. In this study, nine participants received 42 weeks of inpatient dialectical behavior therapy. All participants have a history of suicidal thoughts and/or attempts and suffer from comorbid disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Assessments were done at baseline, start of...Show moreThis study was done to investigate the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy in patients with autism spectrum disorder and emotion-regulation problems. Many people with autism spectrum disorder have difficulty regulating their emotions and often participate in harmful and suicidal behaviors to cope with these emotions. To date, there is not a form of therapy that fully addresses these problems in people with autism spectrum disorder. Dialectical behavior therapy does address this difficulty with emotion regulation and suicidal behavior, but is not yet implemented as an official intervention for people with autism spectrum disorder. In this study, nine participants received 42 weeks of inpatient dialectical behavior therapy. All participants have a history of suicidal thoughts and/or attempts and suffer from comorbid disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Assessments were done at baseline, start of pretreatment, start of inpatient treatment, end of inpatient treatment and at follow-up. The primary measured outcome was problem behavior, which was measured with daily diary cards. Primary problem behavior consisted of suicidal urges; secondary problem behavior consisted of self-harm, substance abuse or rumination. The secondary measured outcomes were coping styles, emotion regulation and quality of life, and these were measured with multiple questionnaires. At follow-up, four out of nine participants saw a significant reduction in suicidal urges (p < .001). Seven participants saw a significant reduction in secondary problem behavior (p < .001). The secondary measured outcomes were more variable with some significant improvement seen in coping styles, emotion-regulation and quality of life, but not for all participants (RCI > 1.96/RCI > -1.96). One participant dropped out after the end of inpatient treatment. In short, this study has found that dialectical behavioral therapy has potential as an effective treatment for people with autism spectrum disorder and emotion-regulation problems, but more studies are needed to fully substantiate this claim before it can be implemented as standard treatment.Show less

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Effectiveness of DBT in patients with ASD and emotion regulation problems