Narrative Exposure Therapy in Women With Borderline Personality Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial (RCCT) to Test the Effectiveness of Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) Versus Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy in Reducing Trauma Related Symptoms in Women Suffering From Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) is an evidence-based trauma-focussed treatment, suitable for survivors of prolonged and repeated exposure to traumatic stress and childhood adversity. Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) often suffer from a comorbid Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) caused by multiple traumatic events. Therapeutic aims are the reduction of PTSD-Symptoms in these patients via activation of associative neural networks related to traumatic experiences and habituation of fear and the placement of traumatic experiences in a reconstructed, detailed and consistent autobiography. This practice enables the processing of and coping with painful memories and the construction of clear contingencies of dangerous and safe conditions, generally leading to significant emotional recovery. The investigators assume that using NET the reduction of PTSD symptom severity is greater compared to treatment by Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy (DBT).

Inclusion Criteria:

• age ≥ 18 years
• DSM-IV-TR diagnoses of BPD and PTSD
• legal competence
• none or stable medication
• illegal drug abstinence for at least the last 6 months
• capacity to consent and contract

Exclusion Criteria:

• other severe mental disorders (e.g., bipolar disorder, acute psychosis)
• simultaneous consumption of drugs
• simultaneous participation in other treatment-studies
• pregnancy or breastfeeding
• lack of capability to negotiate a no-suicide agreement
• suicide attempt or attempts during the 8 weeks prior to start of treatment
• perpetrator-contact
• Body Mass Index (BMI) < 16