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Competitive Memory Training (COMET) for Low Self-Esteem in Patients with Personality Disorders: A Randomized Effectiveness Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2010

Kees Korrelboom ,
Marlies Marissen  and
Tanja van Assendelft
Kees Korrelboom*
Affiliation:
Parnassia-Bavo Psychiatric Centre, The Hague, The Netherlands
Marlies Marissen
Affiliation:
Parnassia-Bavo Psychiatric Centre, The Hague, The Netherlands
Tanja van Assendelft
Affiliation:
Parnassia-Bavo Psychiatric Centre, The Hague, The Netherlands
*
Reprint requests to Kees Korrelboom, Head of the Department of Research and Development, PsyQ, Parnassia-Bavo Psychiatric Centre, Stadhoudersplantsoen 2, 2517 JL The Hague, The Netherlands. E-mail: k.korrelboom@psyq.nl
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Abstract

Background: Self-esteem is a major concern in the treatment of patients with personality disorders in general. In patients with borderline personality disorder, low self-esteem is associated with factors contributing to suicidal and self-injurious behaviour. At the moment there are no well-proven interventions that specifically target low self-esteem. Recently, a new approach, Competitive Memory Training or COMET, aimed at the enhancement of retrieving beneficial information from memory, appeared to be successful in addressing low self-esteem in different patient populations. Aims: To assess whether COMET for low self-esteem is also an effective intervention for patients with personality disorders. Method: 91 patients with personality disorders who were already in therapy in a regular mental health institution were randomly assigned to either 7 group sessions of COMET in addition to their regular therapy or to 7 weeks of ongoing regular therapy. These latter patients received COMET after their “7 weeks waiting period for COMET”. All patients that completed COMET were contacted 3 months later to assess whether the effects of COMET had remained stable. Results: Compared to the patients who received regular therapy only, patients in the COMET + regular therapy condition improved significantly and with large effect sizes on indices of self-esteem and depression. Significant differential improvements on measures of autonomy and social optimism were also in favour of COMET, but had small to intermediate effect sizes. The therapeutic effects of COMET remained stable after 3 months on three out of the four outcome measures. Conclusion: COMET for low self-esteem seems to be an efficacious trans-diagnostic approach that can rather easily be implemented in the treatment of patients with personality disorders.

Keywords

Personality disordersself-esteemmemory retrievalgroup treatment
Type
Empirically Grounded Clinical Interventions
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 39 , Issue 1 , January 2011 , pp. 1 - 19
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2010

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