Sense-IT in patients with borderline personality disorder

The current study will examine the feasibility, acceptance and potential (clinical) added value of Sense-IT, an ambulatory biofeedback (heart rate based) application for smartwatch and smartphone, for patients with borderline personality disorder.

1. Patients with BPD experience the Sense-IT as user friendly.
2. Patients with BPD accept the Sense-IT technology, measured in compliance and satisfaction.
3. Therapists are satisfied with the use of Sense-IT during treatment.
4. Sense-IT improves body-awareness in patients with BPD.
5. Sense-IT improves emotion regulation in patients with BPD.

The baseline duration will vary from 2 to 6 weeks over the participants, with participants randomly allocated to baseline lengths. The SENSE-IT intervention consists of 2 weeks. The last phase is a 2 weeks follow-up phase.

The Sense-IT consists of an application with two sides:
1. The smartwatch side of the application displays heart rate as measured by the smartwatch internal sensors on a scale from 1 to 10. At first use, an individual mean baseline heart rate and standard deviation during rest is determined. Then a threshold criterion can be established for informing users of rising and falling heart rates (i.e. a change of .5, 1 or 1.5 times the standard deviation). The user is visually and (optionally) tactilely informed of this change via the watch. The smartwatch application serves as a monitor to become aware of the change in heart rate where changes are only indicated when subjects are not involved in medium to intense physical activity as measured with the on-board accelerometer.
2. The smartphone side of the application: after the smartwatch vibrated as a signal of a significant change in heart rate, the smartphone application serves as a diary that can be used to make notes about the change in physiological arousal.