Diagnosing, Disclosing, and Documenting Borderline Personality Disorder: A Survey of Psychiatrists' Practices

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a valid and reliable diagnosis with effective treatments. However, data suggest many patients remain unaware they carry the diagnosis, even when they are actively engaged in outpatient psychiatric treatment. The authors conducted a survey of 134 psychiatrists...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of personality disorders 2016-12, Vol.30 (6), p.848-856
Main Authors: Sisti, Dominic, Segal, Andrea G, Siegel, Andrew M, Johnson, Rebecca, Gunderson, John
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Anxiety Disorders
Attitude of Health Personnel
Borderline Personality Disorder - diagnosis
Borderline Personality Disorder - psychology
Borderline Personality Disorder - therapy
Clinical Competence
Computers
Departments
Disclosure
Ethics
Evidence
Humans
Likert Scales
Male
Medical diagnosis
Medical Schools
Mental Disorders
Mental Health
Middle Aged
Neuroses
Patients
Personality
Personality disorders
Personality Problems
Polls & surveys
Professional-Patient Relations
Psychiatry
Psychotherapy
Schizophrenia
Social Stigma
Surveys and Questionnaires
Truth Disclosure
United States
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Summary:Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a valid and reliable diagnosis with effective treatments. However, data suggest many patients remain unaware they carry the diagnosis, even when they are actively engaged in outpatient psychiatric treatment. The authors conducted a survey of 134 psychiatrists practicing in the United States to examine whether they had ever withheld and/or not documented their patients' BPD diagnosis. Fifty-seven percent indicated that at some point during their career they failed to disclose BPD; 37 percent said they had not documented the diagnosis. For those respondents with a history of not disclosing or documenting BPD, most agreed that either stigma or uncertainty of diagnosis played a role in their decisions. The findings highlight the need for clinical training programs to address these issues. The research also invites further research to identify other reasons why psychiatrists are hesitant to be fully open about the diagnosis of BPD.
ISSN:0885-579X
1943-2763
DOI:10.1521/pedi_2015_29_228