More options needed to manage increased risk
“It was important to conduct this study at this time because, while still relatively rare, bipolar spectrum disorders in adolescents confer increased risk for suicide,” Peter L. Loper Jr., MD, of the University of South Carolina, Columbia, said in an interview. The complexity of BP and the increased risk of suicide in these patients challenge clinicians to identify robust evidence-based interventions beyond pharmacotherapy that mitigate this risk, said Dr. Loper, who is triple board certified in pediatrics, general psychiatry, and child & adolescent psychiatry, but was not involved in the study.
Dr. Peter L. Loper Jr.
The current study findings were not surprising, because DBT has proven effective in decreasing suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in other high-risk adolescent patient populations, Dr. Loper said. “Given the therapeutic content of DBT, with emphasis on mindfulness, distress tolerance, social skills, and emotional regulation, I think it is reasonable to hypothesize that DBT might be a globally applicable intervention, independent of mental health diagnosis or etiology of suicidal ideation,” he said.
The take-home message for clinicians is that the results support the efficacy of DBT as an intervention for adolescents with BP and suicidal ideation, self-injurious behavior, or suicide attempts, said Dr. Loper. For these patients, given their increased suicide risk, “DBT should certainly be recommended as a component of their treatment plan,” he said.
However, barriers to the use of DBT in clinical practice exist, notably access and cost, Dr. Loper noted. “I think that the most prominent barrier in accessing DBT in clinical practice is the availability of certified, structured DBT treatment programs, and particularly those willing to provide services to adolescents,” he said. “Additionally, certified DBT programs, which are the gold standard, are often not covered by third-party payers, making cost yet another potential barrier.”
Looking ahead, Dr. Loper agreed with the study authors that additional research with a more diverse patient population representative of adolescents with bipolar spectrum disorder “is a crucial area of focus.”
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health through a grant to Dr. Goldstein, who also disclosed royalties from Guilford Press unrelated to the current study. Dr. Loper had no financial conflicts to disclose.