Empirically Supported Treatments for Psych Disorders

Empirically Supported Treatments for Psych Disorders BPD Treatment Print Empirically Supported Treatments for Psychological Disorders By Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and associate professor of psychology at Eastern Connecticut State University. Learn about our editorial policy Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on August 05, 2016 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on September 02, 2018 Tetra Images / Getty Images More in BPD Treatment Diagnosis Living With BPD Related Conditions Empirically supported treatments, otherwise known as evidence-based treatments or evidence-based practices, are treatments and therapies that have research-based medical and scientific evidence showing that they work. How do doctors know that empirically supported treatments work? Thats where the research comes in. Empirically supported treatments have been tested in scientifically designed randomized controlled trials. If youre not sure what a randomized controlled trial is, youre not alone. The following explanation can help. What Is a Randomized Clinical Trial? First, its important to understand that randomized controlled trials are considered the gold standard for testing new treatments. Every new treatment submitted for FDA approval must be supported by results from randomized controlled trials  demonstrating that its both safe and effective. For instance, when your doctor prescribes a medication for you here in the United States, its an empirically supported treatment that the FDA has approved. The words randomized, control, and trial have specific meanings in terms of testing new medical treatments: Randomized means the participants in the study have been assigned in no particular way to the groups that will be studied. This is done so that the results of the study wont be skewed by the participants or study investigators knowledge of how they were chosen. Controlled means that one of the groups studied does not receive the new (active) treatment being tested. Instead, they receive a placebo or dummy that looks like the tested medication but doesnt contain its active ingredient. The placebo may be a sugar pill or another medication. This study design allows the researchers to reasonably expect that the health effects they observe in the active group that they dont observe in the control group resulted from the use of the new treatment. Trial simply means that the treatment is on trial during the randomized controlled trial. If the study results are positive for the treatments safety and effectiveness, and the results lead to approval of it by the FDA, its an empirically supported treatment. Empirically Supported Treatments for BPD There are currently three treatments for borderline personality disorder (BPD) that are considered empirically supported: Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Schema-Focused Therapy, and Transference-Focused Therapy. Where to Get Additional Information About Empirically Supported Treatments The Society of Clinical Psychology, a division of the American Psychological Association, maintains a list of psychotherapy treatments that are considered empirically supported. The Society also supports an ongoing discussion within the field of psychology about how  best  to define and promote the use of empirically supported treatments. The United States Substance and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) maintains the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP), another list of empirically supported treatments. The 9 Best Online Therapy Programs