Borderline personality disorder Athens study: a quasi-experimental pragmatic trial for the assessment of a public, psychodynamic, stepped care service for borderline personality disorder patients

BackgroundBorderline personality disorder (BPD) is a common mental disorder that severely impairs patients’ psychosocial functioning and quality of life and results in prolonged use of health services. Although psychotherapy is recommended as the most effective treatment for patients with BPD, their...

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Main Authors: Ioannis Malogiannis, Lida Anagnostaki, Maria Aspradaki, Panagiotis Aristotelidis, Katerina Karambela, Maria Amperiadou, Vasiliki Efthymiou, Phaithra Kriezi, Ioanna Theodoridou, Pentagiotissa Stefanatou, George Konstantakopoulos, Kyriakos Souliotis, Lily E. Peppou, Eleni Giannoulis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-07-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychiatry
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1493265/full
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author Ioannis Malogiannis
Lida Anagnostaki
Maria Aspradaki
Panagiotis Aristotelidis
Katerina Karambela
Maria Amperiadou
Vasiliki Efthymiou
Phaithra Kriezi
Ioanna Theodoridou
Pentagiotissa Stefanatou
Pentagiotissa Stefanatou
George Konstantakopoulos
George Konstantakopoulos
Kyriakos Souliotis
Lily E. Peppou
Eleni Giannoulis
Eleni Giannoulis
author_facet Ioannis Malogiannis
Lida Anagnostaki
Maria Aspradaki
Panagiotis Aristotelidis
Katerina Karambela
Maria Amperiadou
Vasiliki Efthymiou
Phaithra Kriezi
Ioanna Theodoridou
Pentagiotissa Stefanatou
Pentagiotissa Stefanatou
George Konstantakopoulos
George Konstantakopoulos
Kyriakos Souliotis
Lily E. Peppou
Eleni Giannoulis
Eleni Giannoulis
author_sort Ioannis Malogiannis
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundBorderline personality disorder (BPD) is a common mental disorder that severely impairs patients’ psychosocial functioning and quality of life and results in prolonged use of health services. Although psychotherapy is recommended as the most effective treatment for patients with BPD, their complex emotional needs can be met in everyday clinical practice by developing integrative, holistic, personalized mental health services tailored to their needs.Aim and hypothesisThe aim of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a specialized psychodynamic stepped-care service for BPD patients. Our hypothesis is that patients receiving this specialized health-care service will show greater improvement in clinical, functional and quality of life than patients receiving a treatment as usual (TAU) service. In addition, specialized health-care services will prove to be more cost effective.Method and designA quasi-experimental clinical trial will be conducted. The study is designed to include 212 BPD patients who will be non-randomly assigned to specialized health care services and to two TAU centers. Patients will be recruited at each site following the routine clinical pathways of referral at each center. The primary outcome measures are BPD severity, suicide attempts and hospital admissions. The secondary outcome measures will include measures of general psychopathology, psychosocial functioning, quality of life and retention in treatment. In addition. An economic evaluation from a societal perspective will be conducted.DiscussionThe development of complex individualized stepped-whole care public interventions for BPD patients requires extended research in everyday clinical practice conditions. In this study, we describe the design and implementation of a pragmatic trial to evaluate this type of health service for BPD patients, and we discuss the strengths as well as the problems and how these can be mitigated.Trial registrationClinical Trials gov.: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT06392139 (Protocol ID No. 404/06-07-202).
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spelling doaj-art-5dd4a9c5a77c4867bc4d7fd65fbda46e2025-08-20T03:29:57ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402025-07-011610.3389/fpsyt.2025.14932651493265Borderline personality disorder Athens study: a quasi-experimental pragmatic trial for the assessment of a public, psychodynamic, stepped care service for borderline personality disorder patientsIoannis Malogiannis0Lida Anagnostaki1Maria Aspradaki2Panagiotis Aristotelidis3Katerina Karambela4Maria Amperiadou5Vasiliki Efthymiou6Phaithra Kriezi7Ioanna Theodoridou8Pentagiotissa Stefanatou9Pentagiotissa Stefanatou10George Konstantakopoulos11George Konstantakopoulos12Kyriakos Souliotis13Lily E. Peppou14Eleni Giannoulis15Eleni Giannoulis16Specific Sector of Personality Disorders, First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, GreeceDepartment of Early Childhood Education, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, GreeceSpecific Sector of Personality Disorders, First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, GreeceSecond Department of Psychiatry, Attikon Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, GreeceSpecific Sector of Personality Disorders, First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, GreeceSpecific Sector of Personality Disorders, First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, GreeceUniversity Research Institute of Maternal and Child Health and Precision Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, GreeceDepartment of Psychiatry, Sismanogleion Hospital, Athens, GreeceSecond Department of Psychiatry, Attikon Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, GreeceDepartment of Speech and Language Therapy, University of Peloponese, Kalamata, GreeceFirst Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, GreeceFirst Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, GreeceResearch Department of Clinical, University College London, Education and Health Psychology, London, United KingdomDepartment of Social and Education Policy, University of Peloponnese, Korinthos, Greece0Neurosciences and Precision Medicine Research Institute “Costas Stefanis”, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, GreeceSpecific Sector of Personality Disorders, First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece1Laboratory of Psychometrics and Neuropsychology, First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, GreeceBackgroundBorderline personality disorder (BPD) is a common mental disorder that severely impairs patients’ psychosocial functioning and quality of life and results in prolonged use of health services. Although psychotherapy is recommended as the most effective treatment for patients with BPD, their complex emotional needs can be met in everyday clinical practice by developing integrative, holistic, personalized mental health services tailored to their needs.Aim and hypothesisThe aim of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a specialized psychodynamic stepped-care service for BPD patients. Our hypothesis is that patients receiving this specialized health-care service will show greater improvement in clinical, functional and quality of life than patients receiving a treatment as usual (TAU) service. In addition, specialized health-care services will prove to be more cost effective.Method and designA quasi-experimental clinical trial will be conducted. The study is designed to include 212 BPD patients who will be non-randomly assigned to specialized health care services and to two TAU centers. Patients will be recruited at each site following the routine clinical pathways of referral at each center. The primary outcome measures are BPD severity, suicide attempts and hospital admissions. The secondary outcome measures will include measures of general psychopathology, psychosocial functioning, quality of life and retention in treatment. In addition. An economic evaluation from a societal perspective will be conducted.DiscussionThe development of complex individualized stepped-whole care public interventions for BPD patients requires extended research in everyday clinical practice conditions. In this study, we describe the design and implementation of a pragmatic trial to evaluate this type of health service for BPD patients, and we discuss the strengths as well as the problems and how these can be mitigated.Trial registrationClinical Trials gov.: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT06392139 (Protocol ID No. 404/06-07-202).https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1493265/fullborderline personality disordernaturalistic designstepped carepsychodynamiceffectivenesscost evaluation
spellingShingle Ioannis Malogiannis
Lida Anagnostaki
Maria Aspradaki
Panagiotis Aristotelidis
Katerina Karambela
Maria Amperiadou
Vasiliki Efthymiou
Phaithra Kriezi
Ioanna Theodoridou
Pentagiotissa Stefanatou
Pentagiotissa Stefanatou
George Konstantakopoulos
George Konstantakopoulos
Kyriakos Souliotis
Lily E. Peppou
Eleni Giannoulis
Eleni Giannoulis
Borderline personality disorder Athens study: a quasi-experimental pragmatic trial for the assessment of a public, psychodynamic, stepped care service for borderline personality disorder patients
Frontiers in Psychiatry
borderline personality disorder
naturalistic design
stepped care
psychodynamic
effectiveness
cost evaluation
title Borderline personality disorder Athens study: a quasi-experimental pragmatic trial for the assessment of a public, psychodynamic, stepped care service for borderline personality disorder patients
title_full Borderline personality disorder Athens study: a quasi-experimental pragmatic trial for the assessment of a public, psychodynamic, stepped care service for borderline personality disorder patients
title_fullStr Borderline personality disorder Athens study: a quasi-experimental pragmatic trial for the assessment of a public, psychodynamic, stepped care service for borderline personality disorder patients
title_full_unstemmed Borderline personality disorder Athens study: a quasi-experimental pragmatic trial for the assessment of a public, psychodynamic, stepped care service for borderline personality disorder patients
title_short Borderline personality disorder Athens study: a quasi-experimental pragmatic trial for the assessment of a public, psychodynamic, stepped care service for borderline personality disorder patients
title_sort borderline personality disorder athens study a quasi experimental pragmatic trial for the assessment of a public psychodynamic stepped care service for borderline personality disorder patients
topic borderline personality disorder
naturalistic design
stepped care
psychodynamic
effectiveness
cost evaluation
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1493265/full
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