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New research on needs of those with personality disorder

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SANE in partnership with the National Mental Health Commission is pleased to share a new research report: Understanding how best to respond to the needs of Australians living with personality disorder.

The report includes a literature review, an environmental scan and a qualitative study and describes:

  • What is known about the prevalence of personality disorders in Australia, including the percentage of people presenting to emergency departments living with personality disorder.
  • Reviewing evidence-based treatments for personality disorder.
  • The barriers faced by Australians living with personality disorder in accessing a level of care sufficient to meet their needs.
  • How people living with personality disorders are impacted by stigma and discrimination

The report puts forward a number of recommendations to improve mental health care and access to support for people affected by personality disorder. 

These include a need to:

  • Conduct a national survey to identify current prevalence of personality disorder in Australia, providing an update to the 1997 figures.
  • Fund further research into treatments for personality disorder other than borderline personality disorder and research that fills knowledge gaps for BPD and other disorders.
  • Obtain national commitment to establish and disseminate existing evidence-based clinical guidelines for the management of BPD.
  • Establishing consistent training and treatment standards to better prepare clinicians to work with personality disorder in an evidence-based and trauma informed way.
  • Take action toward redesigning the mental health system with a focus on efforts to streamline pathways, improve access and reduce financial burden on individuals.
  • Implement strategies to shift assumptions from health professionals that individuals with BPD cannot benefit from psychotherapy.

Read or download the report below:

Understanding how best to respond to the needs of Australians living with personality disorder (PDF, 967KB)

Treatment and support for personality disorder (summary) (PDF, 513KB)

Last updated: 15 November 2018

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