Borderline Personality Disorder

Researchers are conducting the GENESIS clinical study to map the HLA genomic region in the Greek population and explore its possible links with various underlying diseases. This non-interventional, multicenter study aims to provide a pilot map of genetic variation in HLA that may be useful in medical research and clinical applications related to selected diseases. The study plans to include 12,000 participants over a total duration of 36 months. Each participant will attend one visit at a participating site during which they will provide demographic data, lifestyle information such as smoking and alcohol use, blood pressure measurements, details on diagnosed diseases and treatments, and recent laboratory test results if available. Buccal swab samples will be collected from each participant to extract DNA for HLA genotyping analysis. Selected samples will undergo further whole genome sequencing to investigate associations with autoimmune diseases. Participants will receive a personalized ancestry report after analysis completion. During the study visit, data collection includes demographic and health information, as well as laboratory and clinical test results from the past year. The genetic material from buccal swabs will be stored and processed for genetic analysis. Researchers will measure allele frequency of HLA alleles in the Greek population and assess the prevalence and risk associations of selected HLA-related diseases. The study's total duration is 36 months with results available at the end of this period.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth, and rates in the US are rising despite prevention efforts. Researchers are evaluating a digital platform called Vira to improve how care is delivered to adolescents at high risk for suicide. This platform aims to use smartphone data and secure communication tools to better understand and manage risk factors like psychological distress, anhedonia, behavioral withdrawal, and sleep problems in young people receiving intensive outpatient treatment. The study compares two groups of adolescent patients aged 13 to 18 years old who are in an intensive outpatient Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) program. One group uses the Vira platform, which collects data passively from smartphone sensors about activity, sleep, mobility, and mood-related language. Vira also prompts daily check-ins and supports practitioners with reminders to encourage behavior changes. The other group receives the usual treatment with the addition of a passive monitoring app called EARS. Participants will use their assigned app during their intensive outpatient treatment. Researchers will assess outcomes using tools like the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale and Scale for Suicidal Ideation over six months. Other measures include anxiety, risky behaviors, sleep quality, mood, and pleasure scales at three and six months. The study monitors clinical outcomes to determine if the digital platform enhances care for youth at risk of suicide.

Researchers are evaluating the effectiveness and feasibility of Narrative Enhancement and Cognitive Therapy (NECT), a group-based treatment designed to reduce self-stigma in people with mental disorders. Self-stigma involves internalizing negative stereotypes which can harm treatment adherence, self-esteem, quality of life, and increase despair or suicide risk. This pragmatic, multicenter, randomized controlled trial includes 416 patients from 26 mental health centers in Northeast Italy, aiming to improve psychological outcomes like self-esteem, hope, empowerment, recovery perception, and mental well-being. Participants in the intervention group will attend 20 one-hour NECT group sessions divided into five parts: orientation, psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring, narrative enhancement, and conclusion. The therapy helps challenge stigmatizing beliefs and fosters a positive self-narrative. This group therapy is provided alongside participants' usual care, which may include medication and psychosocial treatments. The control group will continue their standard care without NECT. The study lasts about 12 months, with a 2-month recruitment phase, 5 months of intervention, and 5 months for data analysis and publication. Participants will undergo assessments at enrollment and after the 20-week intervention to measure changes in self-stigma, self-esteem, hope, empowerment, recovery perception, mental well-being, and stigma-related stress. Treatment fidelity will be monitored through session recordings. The study also tracks feasibility by evaluating participation rates and feedback. All participants remain under their usual care throughout the study, and data collection includes monitoring care received during the trial.

Researchers are investigating the effects of a multidomain lifestyle intervention to slow cognitive decline and dementia risk in elderly residents aged 60 to 80 in Zhejiang Province, China. The study builds on findings from Finland, where a similar approach combining physical activity, nutrition, cognitive training, social activities, and vascular risk management showed promise in healthy older adults at risk of cognitive decline. This trial aims to explore how such an intervention may change brain structure and function as well as cognitive abilities in an Asian population. Participants are randomly assigned to either a structured multidomain intervention group or a self-guided control group. The intervention group receives tailored nutritional guidance, cognitive training, physical exercises, and vascular risk monitoring, all adapted to Chinese cultural norms. The control group receives regular health education campaigns and basic health monitoring every 6 to 12 months. This trial runs for two years with ongoing assessments to evaluate the impact of these lifestyle changes. During the study, participants undergo various evaluations including cognitive tests measuring global and domain-specific cognition, neuroimaging scans like MRI and fMRI, laboratory blood tests, and physical performance measures such as grip strength and gait speed. Questionnaires assess quality of life, depression, sleep quality, and daily activities. Researchers also monitor cardiovascular health, dementia onset, and falls. This comprehensive monitoring will help determine the intervention's effects on brain health and daily functioning over the 24-month period.

Researchers are evaluating the effects of a smartphone-based Healthy Lifestyle (HLS) intervention on the mental and physical health of firefighters in Tainan, Taiwan. This cluster randomized controlled trial aims to determine if the Traditional Chinese version of the HLS mobile app can improve firefighters' health compared to usual care. The study also seeks to find out whether the intervention can promote a healthier lifestyle and reduce the risk of chronic non-communicable diseases among firefighters. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group, which uses the Traditional Chinese HLS mobile app designed specifically for firefighters, or the control group, which receives usual care. The intervention period lasts from 3 to 6 months, during which firefighters in the intervention group will use the app to support healthier behaviors. The control group will continue with their standard practices without the app. Throughout the study, firefighters will undergo health and fitness assessments at the start and again 3 to 6 months after the intervention begins. Measurements include blood pressure, depressive symptoms, PTSD symptoms, body mass index, smoking habits, diet patterns, physical activity levels, sitting time, sleep duration and napping frequency, glycated hemoglobin, lipid profiles, C-reactive protein, and physical performance. The study will monitor these outcomes to assess changes in mental and physical health. Safety and progress will be observed through these regular evaluations during the study period.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a common and serious psychiatric condition that affects millions worldwide, leading to significant difficulties in daily life and high rates of suicidal thoughts and actions. Young women are especially at risk, with BPD being diagnosed three times more often in women than men. The causes of BPD are complex, involving both biological and environmental factors such as abuse and family issues, which contribute to emotional and behavioral challenges. Currently, no medications are specifically approved to treat BPD effectively, and many patients struggle with existing treatments due to side effects or lack of response. Researchers are evaluating a novel drug that blocks a brain receptor called NMDA, which has been approved for Alzheimer's disease and is being studied for other psychiatric conditions. In this trial, 150 adults with BPD will be randomly assigned to receive either the study drug at a dose of 20 mg daily or a placebo, in addition to their current antipsychotic treatment, for 12 weeks. The trial is double-blind, meaning neither participants nor researchers know who receives the drug or placebo, to fairly assess the drug's effects. Participants will be closely monitored throughout the study with regular assessments of their borderline symptoms and cognitive function using specific rating scales at multiple time points over 12 weeks. Safety and tolerability will also be observed. This thorough evaluation aims to determine whether adding this novel drug can improve symptoms and functioning in people living with BPD during and at the end of the treatment period.

Researchers are evaluating a smartphone-delivered behavioral intervention called Therapeutic Evaluative Conditioning for Suicide (TEC-S) aimed at adults with recent and frequent suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This one-arm open trial focuses on assessing the safety, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of TEC-S in reducing suicidal thoughts and behaviors among 20 adults aged 18 and older living near Boston, MA. Participants will have optional access to the TEC-S treatment on their smartphones for 30 days. TEC-S involves a computerized task where participants repeatedly pair images and words related to suicidal behavior with negative stimuli, and self-related stimuli with positive stimuli, aiming to change attitudes toward suicide. During the study, participants will receive three daily ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) to monitor their suicidal thoughts, safety, and acceptability of the intervention. Weekly self-report and behavioral measures will also assess treatment mechanisms. Throughout the 30-day treatment phase, researchers will collect data on treatment completion, safety, and various measures of suicidal thoughts and behaviors using Likert scales and behavioral tasks. Participants will be monitored closely to ensure safety and acceptability of TEC-S. The study will help understand if this smartphone intervention is a feasible and safe approach to reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviors in adults.

Researchers are evaluating whether teaching people personalized versus standardized emotion regulation skills can better reduce daily negative emotions. The study also aims to see if matching participants to their predicted best skill training is feasible and helpful. This research may reveal how emotion regulation treatments impact emotional health and help develop personalized, evidence-based, and scalable interventions. Participants will be randomly assigned to learn one of three emotion regulation skills—cognitive restructuring, opposite to emotion action, or mindfulness—that matches their personal strengths, or to learn all three skills through interactive videos with surveys to practice and check understanding. These training conditions are designed to compare focused versus broad skill coverage. During the study, participants will report their emotions multiple times daily for 42 days, using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule-Short Form. They will also complete assessments every two weeks for six weeks, measuring depression, anxiety, personality traits, responses to emotions, and breath-counting tasks. Researchers will monitor changes in emotion regulation effectiveness and emotional experiences to understand the impact of the training.

Researchers are evaluating whether a combination of brain stimulation and cognitive training can improve thinking skills and mood in older adults diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). This study focuses on using repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) along with an immersive virtual reality cognitive training program (iVCT) to see if these therapies together help more than brain stimulation alone or no intervention. The research also looks at effects on mental health, daily functioning, quality of life, and caregiver burden. Participants will be assigned to one of three groups: a control group receiving usual care with no intervention, a group receiving rTMS treatments five days a week for two weeks (total 10 sessions), or a group receiving rTMS followed by 30 to 60 minutes of virtual reality cognitive training each day for the same two-week period. All participants will undergo initial assessments before treatment. During the study, participants will complete evaluations at the start, two weeks after treatment, and three months later to measure changes in cognitive abilities, emotional health, daily functioning, and caregiver burden. Tests include the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test and other questionnaires. The study aims to understand both immediate and lasting effects of these therapies over several months, with total participation lasting about three months.

Researchers are evaluating how well adults with borderline personality disorder (BPD) or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tolerate a medicine called BI 3031185. The study includes separate groups for people with BPD and ADHD and aims to assess safety, tolerability, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacokinetics through a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. Participants take part in two sequences: one group receives a single dose of BI 3031185 followed by placebo after a two-week break, while the other group receives placebo first then BI 3031185. Both treatments are given as tablets. The study lasts about 1 to 2 months, with several visits including overnight stays at the study site. During the 6 in-person visits and 3 phone or video calls, doctors monitor participants' health and check for any unwanted effects. The main outcomes measured are the number of participants reporting adverse events related to the medicine. Safety and tolerability are closely observed from the time of dosing until the end of the study.