Borderline personality disorder: the voice of patients

The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to generate knowledge about the experience of living with the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Persons identified as meeting DSM-III-R (American Psychiatric Association, 1987) or DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) criteria for borderline personality disorder were invited to participate in a private interview focusing on what it means to live with the diagnosis. The data were analyzed using the procedures of interpretive phenomenological data analysis (Benner, 1994; Diekelmann, Allen, & Tanner, 1989). Three themes were identified: (a) living with a label, (b) living with self-destructive behavior perceived as manipulation, and (c) living with limited access to care. The findings suggest that mental health care for persons with borderline personality disorder could be improved by confronting prejudice, understanding self-harm, and safeguarding opportunities for dialogue.