What do people in forensic secure and community settings think of their personality disorder diagnosis? A qualitative...

The aim of this study was to explore the experience of having a personality disorder diagnosis within the context of forensic secure and community services.

We used an interpretative phenomenological analysis to analyse interviews with 10 service users purposively recruited from services in South London.

Participants described two facets of their lived experience: (1) the way they see themselves now, in light of their offending and social background and (2) the pejorative nature of the personality disorder label, its relationship to mental illness and their need to distance themselves from it.

Having a forensic identity affects participants' perceptions of their diagnosis and its treatment as well as their views about themselves.