Extrait

Background and study aims In January 2013, 1.43 million people in the UK received incapacity benefit, many because of mental health difficulties. There is a complex relationship between employment and mental health; poor mental health predicts unemployment, whilst employment leads to improvements in mental wellbeing. Therefore, assisting people with mental health difficulties to get into employment is a priority for the NHS and social care organizations. Personality disorders (PDs) are mental health conditions which affect the way people manage feelings and relate to other people. They are often characterised by intense emotional responses and impulsive high-risk behaviours, meaning that people with a PD often have difficulties developing and sustaining relationships, a necessary skill for both wellbeing and employment. Dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) is a type of treatment designed to help people who have difficulties managing their emotions through changing thought patterns and behaviour. It is well recognised as an effective treatment for PD. The aim of this study is to test a new treatment programme based on the principles and techniques of DBT can help prepare people with difficulties relating to a PD to find employment. The programme targets areas of difficulty such as managing intense emotions, problematic interpersonal relationships, self-criticism and poor self-management through the development and evaluation. Who can participate? Unemployed adults with a personality disorder. What does the study involve? Suitable participants are invited to a 60-minute enrolment session where they complete a number of questionnaires about their wellbeing, mood and social functioning. If the participant is still willing to enrol after this session they will be offered a place in one of four DBT-SE groups. All participants who participate in the enrolment session are offered compensation for their time. The DBT-SE groups run for three hours per week (including two 10-minute breaks) for 16 weeks. In between each group participants are given tasks to practice to help consolidate (sum up) what they have learnt during each session. Participants are also asked to fill out a questionnaire and a diary card to help the study team to monitor their employment-related activity. Every four weeks participants are asked to complete additional questionnaires online which take around 30-40 minutes to complete. At the end of the study, participants are invited to take part in a 60-minute interview, to give feedback on their experience of being involved in the study. All participants who participate in the feedback session are offered compensation for their time. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? There is a chance that participants will benefit from taking part by better learning to manage the challenging emotional aspects of looking and applying for work, interviewing, and starting work. Additionally, by learning the skills with a group of people who experience similar difficulties, participants will may benefit from feeling less alone in their own experiences and will have the opportunity to practice their interpersonal skills in a safe and supportive space. It is possible that during the study, participants might get upset if they have recently experienced difficulties in obtaining a job, have recently lost a job, or are having difficulties at work when they enrol. All of the staff working on this study are experienced in facilitating or co-facilitating standard adult DBT skills groups and are trained in how best to support participants if they become upset. Where is the study run from? 1. Goodmayes Hospital (UK) 2. Larkswood Centre, Thorpe Coombe Hospital (UK) 3. Mind City, Hackney and Waltham Forest (UK) 4. Wood Lane Baptist Church (UK) When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? May 2016 to August 2016 Who is funding the study? National Institute for Health Research (UK) Who is the main contact? Dr Anna Cattrell [email protected]

Critère d'inclusion

• Specialty: Mental Health, Primary sub-specialty: Personality disorder; UKCRC code/ Disease: Mental Health/ Organic, including symptomatic, mental disorders

Liens

• isrctn
• ictrp