EMDR met en zonder dialectische gedragstherapie bij PTSS met comorbide borderlinesymptomen: Een gerandomiseerde gecontroleerde studie

Comorbidity between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) is common, while existing treatments show high non-response and dropout rates. This study investigated whether the simultaneous application of EMDR for PTSD and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for BPD yields better outcomes than EMDR alone. Patients with PTSD and ≥ 4 BPD symptoms were randomly assigned to EMDR (n = 63) or EMDR+DBT (n = 61). After 1 year, both conditions showed substantial improvements in PTSD symptoms, BPD symptoms and quality of life, with no significant differences between groups. Global functioning improved only in the EMDR group according to one measure, while another measure showed improvements in both groups. Notably, patients in the EMDR+DBT group dropped out twice as often. The addition of DBT to EMDR is not superior to EMDR only for PTSD with comorbid BPD symptoms. These findings support EMDR as a first-line intervention for this patient group. Further research on long-term effects is needed.