Borderline personality disorder: attitudes of mental health nurses

Objective The purpose of the current study is to examine the relationship between the quality of the Patient-Doctor Relationship and suicidality among patients seeking mental health care; specifically, whether patients who perceive having a more positive relationship with primary care physician will have lower levels of suicidality. Method Cross-sectional population-based study in Greater Vancouver, Canada. One-hundred ninety-seven participants were recruited from three Mental Health Clinics who reported having a primary care physician. Participants completed a survey containing questions regarding items assessing quality of Patient-Doctor Relationship, general psychiatric distress (K10), borderline personality disorder, and suicidality (Suicidal Behaviours Questionnaire-Revised-SBQ-R). Zero-order correlations were computed to evaluate relationships between study variables. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to control for confounding variables. Results The quality of the patient doctor relationship was significantly negatively associated with suicidality. The association between the quality of the patient-doctor relationship and suicidality remained significant even after controlling for the effects of psychiatric symptom distress and borderline personality disorder features. Conclusions The degree to which patients’ perceive their primary care physician as understanding, reliable, and dedicated, is associated with a reduction in suicidal behaviors. Further research is needed to better explicate the mechanisms of this relationship over time.

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Effects of a modified DBT Skills Group for military personnel and Veterans with OSIs and borderline personality disorder or traits

Journal of Military Veteran and Family Health ◽

10.3138/jmvfh-2019-0067 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. e20190067

Author(s):

Pamela L. Holens ◽

Jeremiah N. Buhler ◽

Stephanie Yacucha ◽

Alyssa Romaniuk ◽

Brent Joyal

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Borderline Personality Disorder ◽

Personality Disorder ◽

Military Personnel ◽

Group Treatment ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Borderline Personality ◽

Behaviour Therapy ◽

Negative Thoughts ◽

Skills Group

LAY SUMMARY This study looked at the use of a group treatment known as dialectical behaviour therapy skills group (DBT-SG) to see if it was helpful for military personnel and veterans who had a variety of mental health disorders related to their service. The results of the study showed improvements in symptoms of borderline personality disorder, reductions in negative thoughts and feelings, and reductions in unhelpful behaviours. Results also showed improvements in all examined areas of functioning among participants, with the largest change occurring in the area of social functioning. The presence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, or chronic pain did not impact results, but the presence of a substance abuse disorder did. Overall, the results provide preliminary support for DBT-SG as an intervention for borderline personality disorder symptoms among military and veterans, and perhaps particularly for persons who also have other mental health challenges, or persons considered inappropriate for other treatment.

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