Tending to patients with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a challenging task for clinicians due to stigma and differences in opinion within the psychiatric community. Various symptoms of BPD including affective instability, mood reactivity, and extremes of idealization are associated with challenging emotions toward patients with BPD. This observational research study utilized an adaptation of the 37-question Attitude to Personality Disorder Questionnaire (APDQ) to assess the attitudes of clinicians toward patients with BPD.

This questionnaire was distributed to 139 clinicians including psychiatry attendings, psychiatry residents, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, recreation and art therapists, and psychologists who worked with patients diagnosed with BPD on an inpatient unit. Responses of participants were compared based on occupation, gender, and duration of years worked on an inpatient psychiatric unit.

Results show that individuals employed in occupations under the “other health professionals” category had more positive transference (which included feelings of respect toward BPD patients along with feelings of closeness and warmth) toward patients with BPD, and nurses had an increased total score for lack of valid difficulties compared with other health professionals. When grouping by gender and duration of year spent working on an inpatient unit, there were no significant differences in the response toward patients with BPD in affective situations.

Clinical implications are discussed, as well as the need for training to help improve staff attitudes toward this patient population.