Dialectical behaviour therapists' experience of young people with features of borderline personality disorder : a qualitative analysis

• Main Author: Rickard, Renee E.
• Published: Bangor University 2012
• Subjects: 616.85852
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.589384

This thesis examines mental health professionals' responses toward patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and presents a qualitative study of Dialectical Behaviour Therapists' (DBT) experiences in their work with young people with BPD features. A review of empirical literature regarding emotional, behavioural and attitudinal responses of professionals toward these patients identified a range of negative responses, distinguishable from responses toward patients with other mental health problems. The review highlights the consistency of responses in professionals working in a variety of roles with these patients in countries across the world, and points to the need for further research to understand the precipitants of these negative responses. Controversy surrounds the diagnosis of BPD during adolescence and hence the majority of research in this area focuses upon professionals working with adult patients. On the basis of evidence regarding the presence of BPD features during adolescence and the application of therapeutic approaches, such as DBT, to young people exhibiting these features, the empirical paper presents an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of the lived experience of DBT therapists in this context. A super-ordinate theme of 'the impact of the therapy on the therapist' containing five sub-themes is presented.