Men's experiences of having the diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Evans, Michael A

Abstract

Objectives
There is a lack of attention and evidence in the literature regarding Borderline Personality Disorder (hereafter BPD) and men and how the disorder is conceptualised and understood by clinicians’ and researchers’ in relation to men. Thus, this study adds to the limited literature by exploring how men in this study understood the role of physical, emotional and sexual abuse in the development of BPD and questions whether complex trauma in men is being discounted and overshadowed by clinical services assessing risk and danger.

Design
Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data that were then analysed qualitatively using IPA.

Methods
Six men with a working diagnosis of BPD were interviewed about their experiences of having the diagnosis of BPD. More specifically, this article focuses on their understanding of how they came to develop BPD.

Results
One of two superordinate themes that emerged from the data is discussed here; ‘You can’t grow up like I did as a kid and grow up normal’. Two corresponding subordinate themes are also explored; ‘It certainly wasn't the Walton’s house mate’ and ‘I thought I was going to die’.

Conclusions
These findings highlight men’s experiences of abuse as a way of understanding the diagnosis as a response to trauma rather than a weakness in personality or defective male position. By understanding BPD in men as an understandable response to abuse then interventions can be developed to acknowledge men’s experiences and develop interventions to facilitate emotional regulation and processing.

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 7, 2019
• Keywords: men, health, borderline personality disorder, trauma
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/907297
• Award Date: Oct 12, 2016