A long road to: The views of people with personality disorders about their experiences of treatment and services in Dorset, Hampshire and Isle of Wight

During the summer of 2019, Healthwatch Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton engaged with people who have been diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder (BPD) or emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD) and their carers to ask about their experiences of using mental health services. 

They interviewed 19 people, who had recently received therapy or had been recently discharged from their therapy. Their stories are about the treatment they have received over a period of years, which includes the barriers to and frustrations with accessing the support, information and treatment they needed. People reported finding it difficult to access an initial referral to a community mental health team or a psychiatric assessment without having it escalated by a crisis or serious incident or self-harm.  Lack of coordination and being listened to also affected their ability to get the support they needed. However when given treatment, the impact is positive. People reported having more control of their lives and feeling more optimistic about their futures. 

Carers noted there is little support or information easily available for them to help them manage sometimes very challenging situations and feel often ignored as key people in care planning.