We know that most people who choose to be doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health workers do so because they want to help people. They have compassion and empathy for people living with mental health conditions. They work hard to learn as much as they can, in order to make things easier for their patients. We can provide education, information and resources for professionals, to help them develop their skills and raise their awareness of borderline personality disorder.
We are keen to work with all health and social care professionals who work with people living with BPD, to provide information and resources to ensure that those who work in this field are leaders in their profession and have access to accurate and up to date information. We are able to work with:
- GPs and health centre staff
- CMHT staff including CPN’s, psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors, therapists, OTs and other CMHT staff
- Social care staff including social workers, community workers, support workers and other social care staff
- Emergency service staff
- Police, Police Community Support Officers (PCSO’s) and other staff in the policing sector
- Justice system staff including prison officers, probation offers, case workers and support workers
With approximately 2% of people living with borderline personality disorder, there is a definite gap between the need for specialist care of complex disorders and the availability of mental health professionals who are able to provide that care. The increase in recent years of BPD research has led to more diagnoses than ever, and new treatment options, which has proven that BPD is a treatable disorder with the right combination of suitable medications and therapy.
Most academic psychiatry and psychology departments have limited clinical training in borderline personality disorder. This, combined with a long-standing and persistent stigma as to the difficulty of treating bpd patients, has led to this gap in suitable care.
There are increasing opportunities for mental health professionals to develop their clinical skills in this area, with a dramatic increase in recent years of training courses, qualifications, books and research papers.
Ways to Enhance the Treatment of your Service Users with Borderline Personality Disorder
- Learn more about the condition. This website is an ideal introduction to BPD and how it affects people. We can provide webinars, training and live talks. Get in touch with us to find out more.
- Speak with experienced colleagues, build a small network to share best practice and learn from each other. If you are working in psychiatry, especially focus on the use of mediations and the diagnostic issues, inform yourself of main methods of intervention, diagnosis and treatment.
- Learn about the different treatment methods available, how they work and how they are applied to people living with BPD.
- Remember that BPD is not just limited to the patient, but also affects their loved ones, families, friends and colleagues. Including critical family members or partners in the diagnostic and treatment processes are a crucial part of developing a solid support network for the patient.
- Ensure you are up to date on diagnostic criteria and definitions of the disorder (currently ICD-10), as this can change. Current information (as of this page being written in June 2022) can be found here: https://icd.who.int/browse10/2016/en#/F60.3
- Ensure you are up to date with the NICE treatment guidelines, which offer guidance on the diagnosis and treatment of people with borderline personality disorder. More can be found on our website, or for the most up to date guidlines visit the NICE website.