Service-User Views: Receiving a BPD Diagnosis in Specialist Services

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Service-User Experiences of the Process of Receiving a Diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder within Outpatient Specialist Personality Disorder Services: How is the Diagnostic Process Perceived to Influence Service-User Understanding of this Diagnosis and Themselves

• IRAS ID

  217472

• Contact name

  Niamh Ingram

• Contact email

  n.ingram@surrey.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Surrey University

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 3 months, 17 days

• Research summary

  Previous research indicates that many service-users have negative experiences of being diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD: Nehls, 1999; Horn, Johnstone & Brooke, 2007; Rogers & Dunne, 2011) and the way in which the diagnosis is given has been perceived to impact on how service-user’s feel about the diagnosis and themselves (Morris, Smith & Alwin, 2014; Richardson & Tracey, 2015). Since the introduction of guidance from the National Institute of Mental Health England (NIMH(E), 2003) on the assessment and treatment of individuals diagnosed with a personality disorder and the subsequent increase in funding to increase and improve specialist services, there has been no specific research to gather a comprehensive understanding of how service users currently experience receiving a diagnosis of BPD within specialist outpatient PD services. Similarly, there has been no research since the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE, 2015) updated guidance on the assessment and treatment of BPD to provide advice to clinicians on diagnosis delivery.
  The proposed study aims to utilise interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore service users’ narratives of receiving a diagnosis of BPD within specialist personality disorder (PD) services. Service-users receiving treatment within specialist outpatient PD services in South West London (who meet the inclusion criteria) will be invited to take part in a comprehensive interview to explore their views on their diagnosis. From the data generated, the researcher will complete an in-depth analysis exploring prominent themes within each interview and then more broadly across each service-user’s experience. Through this analysis a greater understanding of the current experiences of service-users receiving this diagnosis within specialist PD services will be gathered. This may also shed light on whether guidance and the increase in funding and development of these services has improved service-user experiences of the diagnostic process.

• REC name

  London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  17/LO/0832

• Date of REC Opinion

  20 Jun 2017

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion