The Experience of Treatment of Persons Presenting with Concomitant Psychotic and Borderline Personality Disorders
The present study investigated the treatment experience of 9 individuals with concomitant psychotic and borderline personality disorders. Given the paucity of research on the experience of this population, the goal was to explore pathways to care, transitions between services and general perception of treatments using a qualitative methodology. A semi-structured interview schedule was administered to each participant, who was referred by participating psychiatrists in either the psychosis programme or the BPD clinic. Transcripts were coded using a mixed open and closed coding procedure and QDA Miner 3.2.3 analysis software. Results found that participants did not dichotomize their experience into all-good or all-bad categories, but gave nuanced accounts of their treatment. Each participant described several pathways to care that explained their entry into specific treatments, with only coercion negatively impacting treatment experience. Many transitions were described, though only those who were coerced experienced these negatively. The key factor that participants highlighted in their treatment experience was the clinician/participant relationship. A positive relationship permitted participants to trust and receive help from their clinician. Limits include the possible bias of the recruitment procedure and the limited scope of the study. This understanding of the perspective of these individuals can lead to promoting better treatment experiences in the future.
Borderline personality disorder Psychosis Comorbidity Treatment experience