Identity in autism and personality disorder
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Identity in autism and personality disorder: A qualitative study
IRAS ID
349880
Contact name
Valeria Khudiakova
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
City St George's, University of London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 7 months, 1 days
Research summary
Why are we doing this research?
Many people currently diagnosed with a personality disorder, especially borderline personality disorder (BPD) could be autistic but undiagnosed. Misdiagnosis can occur because autistic traits can appear similar to the diagnostic criteria for BPD. Receiving an accurate diagnosis is crucial for understanding one’s experiences, accessing appropriate supports, and finding community. Gender diverse people could be particularly prone to being misdiagnosed or not believed by clinicians and struggle to access appropriate supports. We would like to understand if there is a link between a BPD diagnosis and unrecognised autism in gender diverse people.What will we do?
We are planning to do two studies.
Study 1: We will conduct interviews with gender diverse people who believe they are autistic or have an autism diagnosis, including those previously diagnosed with BPD. Interviews will explore how their gender identity affected the labelling of their experiences as autism or BPD and how they experience their sense of self in relation to their diagnosis and any other intersecting identities.
Study 2: We will also interview mental health clinicians working with gender diverse people diagnosed with autism/BPD to understand their views and experiences in relation to the challenges faced by these groups.How will we help improve care?
This study will help understand health inequalities for people from marginalised groups. Understanding why autism is sometimes missed among people diagnosed with personality disorder can help reduce these inaccuracies. Improved diagnostic accuracy will enable more people (including but not limited to gender diverse people) to receive correct diagnoses and understand themselves better, and reduce the potential for harm caused by inappropriate interventions and distrust in the mental healthcare system.REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 1
REC reference
25/ES/0033
Date of REC Opinion
3 Jun 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion