Remission, Recovery, Relapse, and Recurrence Rates for Suicide Attempts and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury for Suicidal Youth Treated With Dialectical Behavior Therapy or Supportive Therapy

Objective To evaluate rates of remission, recovery, relapse, and recurrence in suicidal youth who participated in a clinical trial comparing Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Individual and Group Supportive Therapy (IGST). Method Participants were 173 youth, ages 12-18, with repetitive self-harm (including at least one prior suicide attempt [SA]) and elevated suicidal ideation (SI). Participants received 6 months of DBT or IGST and were followed for 6-months post-treatment. The sample was 95% female, 56.4% White and 27.49% Latina. Remission was defined as absence of SA or non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) across one 3-month interval; recovery was defined across 2 or more consecutive intervals. Relapse and recurrence were defined as SA or NSSI following remission or recovery. Cross-tabulation with χ2 was used for between group contrasts. Results Over 70% of the sample reported remission of SA at each treatment and follow-up interval. There were significantly higher rates of remission and recovery and lower rates of relapse and recurrence for SA in DBT versus IGST. Across treatments and time points, SA had higher remission and recovery rates and lower relapse and recurrence rates than NSSI. There were no significant differences in NSSI remission between conditions; however, DBT had significantly higher NSSI recovery rates than IGST for the 3-9, 3-12, and 6-12-month intervals. Conclusion Results showed higher percentages of SA remission and recovery for DBT as compared to IGST. NSSI was less likely to remit than SA. Clinical Trial Registration Information Collaborative Adolescent Research on Emotions and Suicide (CARES); https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT01528020.