A Pilot Study of a Short Cognitive-Behavioral Group Treatment for Female Recurrent Suicide Attempters

Objective: To test the feasibility and effectiveness of a high-frequency short-term group cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for recurrent suicide attempters. Method: CBT consisting of eight weekly and two “booster” sessions was given to nine female out-patients who had attempted suicide at least twice, seven of whom had a personality disorder. Results: Four patients dropped out during the treatment; either because they were “chronic repeaters” (i.e., had a history of more than 8 suicide attempts), or because the last suicide attempt was too long ago. Although the patients were generally positive about the content of the therapy, no effects on psychiatric symptomatology or repetition of suicidal behavior could be demonstrated. Conclusions: Based on this experience, and on the two controlled studies of CBT of recurrent suicide attempters published in the literature, it is tentatively concluded that it is difficult to organize a short-term high-frequency group treatment for recurrent suicide attempters with personality disorders, and that CBT may delay repetition of suicidal behavior, but that “major repeaters” (i.e., who made 4 or more suicide attempts) with a borderline personality disorder tend to stay major repeaters.