Internet-delivered interventions for personality disorders - A scoping review

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry and Mental Health
• Digital Therapeutics
• Psychotherapy Research

Background:

• Personality disorders (PDs) represent a significant global health burden.
• Existing PD treatments are effective but face challenges in scalability, cost, and time commitment.
• Internet-delivered interventions offer a potential solution to enhance treatment accessibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and summarize the current evidence on internet-delivered psychotherapy for personality disorders.
• To identify the types of digital interventions being developed and tested for PDs.
• To assess the feasibility, usability, and preliminary outcomes of these interventions.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive scoping review was conducted using systematic literature searches across major databases (PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Cochrane).
• Studies reporting findings on internet-delivered interventions for PDs were selected for inclusion.
• Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria, with a focus on borderline personality disorder (BPD) and general PDs.

Main Results:

• Most studies (8/11) focused on borderline personality disorder (BPD).
• The most common intervention format involved mobile app integration with traditional face-to-face therapy (7/11 studies).
• Usability and patient satisfaction were generally high; three studies reported significant reductions in BPD symptoms, with no adverse effects noted.

Conclusions:

• Internet interventions for PDs are currently under-researched, with most studies being pilot or feasibility trials.
• Initial findings suggest promise, particularly for app-based add-on treatments.
• Further research is encouraged to develop and test more comprehensive internet-delivered PD treatments.