Borderline personality disorder: is diagnosis offering service or stigma?

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Published: Jun 8, 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18192/uojm.v7i1.1987
Keywords:
Psychiatry, Medical student, Stigma, Borderline, Personality

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Victoria Rose Myers

Abstract

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a common diagnosis I encountered while on my psychiatry rotation. The stigma surrounding the diagnosis and the negative attitudes of health care professionals towards these patients raised interesting questions regarding the approach to and benefit of formal diagnosis. Through reflection, two important learning points are proposed: be aware of the stigma towards BPD patients and approach each patient with an open mind and a professional attitude, and carefully examine the context of BPD symptoms before attributing a patient’s difficulties to a single diagnosis.

RÉSUMÉ

Le trouble de la personnalité limite (TPL) est un diagnostic commun que j’ai croisé au cours de mon stage en psychiatrie. La stigmati- sation entourant ce diagnostic et les attitudes négatives des professionnels de la santé face à ces patients soulèvent d’intéressantes questions quant à l’avantage d’établir un diagnostic officiel et l’approche à suivre pour y arriver. À la suite de réflexions, deux éléments importants à retenir sont suggérés : être conscient de la stigmatisation envers les patients avec le TPL et approcher chaque patient avec un esprit ouvert et une attitude professionnelle, et examiner attentivement le contexte entourant les symptômes du TPL avant d’attribuer les difficultés des patients à un seul diagnostic. 

Article Details

Issue
Vol. 7 No. 1 (2017): Patient Safety and Quality Improvement
Section
Commentary
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