Abstract
BackgroundPeer support is a recovery oriented approach where consumers and carers are introduced to people with lived experience of the disorder who have recovered. Paid roles within health services for such consumer peer workers and carer peer workers (or ‘specialists’) are increasingly common. To date specific studies on such peer support for consumers with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and their carers has not been conducted.MethodsThis qualitative study used interviews to explore perceptions and models of peer support for BPD from the perspectives of 12 consumers, 12 carers, and 12 mental health professionals. Participant responses were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis within a phenomenological methodology.ResultsAll groups described how consumer peer workers may provide hope, connection, and validation to a consumer’s lived experience. Offering both traditional mental health treatment plus peer support, and giving consumers choice regarding a consumer peer worker was welcomed. Differences in opinion were found regarding the consumer peer worker’s role in relation to the mental health team, including whether consumer peer workers should access medical records. Perspectives differed regarding the consumer peer worker and carer peer worker positions, highlighting potential role confusion. Carers discussed the value of receiving support from carer peer workers and consumer peer workers. Mental health professionals described how consumer peer workers can experience workplace stigma and problems with boundary setting, and acknowledged a need for peer workers to be valued by having a duty of care and confidentiality code to follow and be offered supervision.ConclusionsTwo models of peer support for BPD emerged: an integrated model where consumer peer workers work within the mental health team, and a complementary model where consumer peer workers are separate from the mental health team. Based on these findings we provide recommendations for services to help support such peer work for consumers with BPD and their carers.
Highlights
Peer support is a recovery oriented approach where consumers and carers are introduced to people with lived experience of the disorder who have recovered
Participants included 12 consumers with borderline personality disorder (BPD), 12 carers supporting someone with BPD, and 12 mental health professionals who had experience working with consumers with BPD and consumer peer workers or carer peer workers
“It really does feel like you’re never going to get better when you are unwell, and I think a lot of clinicians still hold quite a stigma regarding BPD that um, clients with that diagnosis won’t recover and won’t lead meaningful lives, so I think it’s, um, really helpful to have someone with that lived experience in that role and doing quite well, um for the clients to be able to see that recovery is quite possible, um and you can lead a meaningful life” (Consumer Peer Worker 1)
Summary
Peer support is a recovery oriented approach where consumers and carers are introduced to people with lived experience of the disorder who have recovered. To date specific studies on such peer support for consumers with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and their carers has not been conducted. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe mental condition that is characterized by disturbances in emotion regulation, identity, relationships with self and others, and impulsivity [1]. Services for consumers with BPD which focus on recovery oriented outcomes have been recommended [5, 7]. Peer support may be beneficial for consumers with BPD and their carers to help enhance recovery. Peer support has been recommended for consumers with BPD to improve relationships and sense of self [10], and to improve personality disorder services [11, 12]
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