Improving standards of care for service users with Borderline Personality Disorder

Caring for service users who have a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) can be a stressful experience as they often present with challenging behaviors such as deliberate self harm. Historically nurses and other mental health professionals have often held negative attitudes towards such clients believing them to be untreatable. In this manuscript we review recent developments in UK mental health policy that have made providing services for service users with BPD a clinical priority. We will also discuss the emerging evidence for a psychological treatment for BPD known as Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT). Findings so far suggest that when delivered by specialized services DBT may improve outcomes (particularly self harm) for BPD clients compared to routine care. Unfortunately there are few specialized services for BPD in the UK and further research is needed to strengthen the evidence base for DBT and explore more flexible models of delivery.