Improve Care for BPD

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a serious mental illness that occurs in one of 50 individuals. Despite the prevalence, experts believe people with BPD often receive inadequate care from the health system.

In a new study from the UK, researchers conclude that staffing shortages, a lack of training to deal with BPD and conflicts over the correct method of care for BPD are factors that contribute to less than optimal care.

BPD is characterized by persistent instability in moods, personal relationships, self-image and behavior.

This instability can affect aspects of the individual’s life and their sense of identity, resulting in self-harm and a significant rate of suicide attempts. It is more common in young women and sufferers often need extensive mental health services.

The current study cites that eighty percent of psychiatric nurses believe the care deficit originates from a combination of staffing shortages and the failure to have a consistent treatment strategy for individuals with BPD.

Researchers from the Republic of Ireland found that more than a quarter of the nurses surveyed (27 per cent) had daily contact with patients with BPD.

Despite this, only three per cent had received post-graduate training in BPD and, when training was provided, it tended to be a single workshop or lecture.

This instability can affect aspects of the individual’s life and their sense of identity, resulting in self-harm and a significant rate of suicide attempts. It is more common in young women and sufferers often need extensive mental health services.

In the study, a hundred and fifty seven ward and community-based nurses working for a health service providing mental health inpatient and outpatient services were surveyed, with 41 percent completing the detailed questionnaire.

The results are published in the October issue of the Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing.

“A worrying finding of this study is that the majority of staff believe that multi-disciplinary team disagreements lead to inadequate care” says Professor Seamus Cowman.

“This points to the need for greater guidance to avoid different approaches being taken to managing clients with the same disorder. The need for all services to develop policies on handling BPD was also highlighted by the Expert Group on Mental Health Policy in its 2006 report.”

Lack of specialist training was also a concern.

“The majority of nurses strongly agreed that they had a key role to play in the assessment and management of people with BPD and 90 percent said they would be keen to receive further training in dealing with BPD” says Professor Cowman.

“We hope that this research will help to drive service improvements for people with BPD and provide staff with the education and guidance they need to make best use of their skills.”

Source: Blackwell Publishing