An exploration into the lived experience of having a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder in a forensic setting

Abstract

This thesis consists of a literature review, a research report and relevant appendices. The literature review aimed to review relevant papers in order to describe how a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) affects close relationships. Nineteen papers met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. The findings of the review suggest that a diagnosis of BPD affects relationships in general, relationships within families, mother-child relationships and intimate partner relationships. However, the research examining the difficulties within relationships is limited and the existing research has methodological limitations. To be able to describe how a diagnosis of BPD affects close relationships, further research with robust designs needs to be conducted. The aim of the research was to explore the lived experience of having a diagnosis of BPD in a forensic setting. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with women with a diagnosis of BPD in private secure units. The interview data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis and four main themes emerged: identity, power, protection and containment, and confusion. The findings of this study are discussed in relation to previous findings of qualitative studies with people with a diagnosis of BPD in community and inpatient psychiatric settings. There are limitations to this study; however, good quality control and the similarities with previous findings indicate that this study makes a valuable contribution to the understanding of BPD in a forensic setting.