The borderline patient : mental health clinicians’ experience and views

Abstract EN

Traditionally training and service planning in mental health were focused on Psychosis, Affective and Neurotic disorders.

Recently Personality disorders represent a significant portion of clinicians’ caseload and Mental Health services need to meet their needs.

Aim : 1.

1- To examine the adult mental health clinicians’ experience while working with individuals diagnosed with Borderline Personality disorder (BPD) and ways of supporting them.

2- To identify training needs.

Method : A cross sectional survey of adult mental health clinicians employed by Northampton shire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) Results : 1.

Response rate : 69 % (185 of 269) including : psychiatrists 40 (85 %), community staff 98 and inpatient staff 47.

2.

Self-rated ability to diagnose / identify BPD : very good : 19 (10 %).

Good, 65 (35 %), average : 74 (40 %) and 19 (10 % were unsure and 9 (5 %) did not answer.

Preferred diagnostic system : ICD-10 : 27 (15 %), DSM-IV : 9 (5 %), clinical sense : 139 (75 %) and 9 (5%) did not answer.

3.

Working with BPD is experienced as: Enjoyable : 9 (5 %), challenging : 111 (60 %), Stressful : 27 (15 %), very stressful : 19 (10 %), I hardly like : 9 (5 %), no answer : 9 (5 %) (159.

85 %) agreed that training is needed, 19 (10 %) did not agree, 6 (3 %) were unsure and 4 (2 %) did not answer.

Conclusion : the majority of clinicians’ experience managing individuals diagnosed with BPD as challenging and agreed that training is needed.