SRIG 23-26: People diagnosed with borderline personality disorder have varied reactions to their diagnosis – how do these reactions differentially impact their well-being?

What was the issue being addressed?

Although previous research has examined strategies that people adopt to resist the stigma of mental illness diagnoses and subsequently improve their well-being, no research has yet looked at stigma resistance in people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Moreover, some people diagnosed with BPD use a strategy to resist the stigma associated with their diagnostic label that has not yet been described in the literature (reconceptualizing). Given that people diagnosed with BPD face high levels of stigma surrounding their diagnosis and experience many negative outcomes because of it, it is important to understand how stigma resistance can improve their well-being. Moreover, it is important to empirically examine the potential benefits of a strategy being used by this population that has not yet been described in the literature.

Provide a brief, lay description of the work undertaken/initiative.

Pearl Meredith, an Honours student, and Jocelyn Lymburner, her supervisor, conducted a study from fall 2023-spring 2024 looking at stigma resistance in people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The study looked at how different ways of resisting the stigma associated with a diagnosis of BPD can improve well-being for people with this diagnosis. Data from over 200 people was analyzed, and results showed that some strategies are harmful (like hiding one’s diagnosis), while others may be helpful (like understanding one’s diagnosis outside the medical model). Results were presented at the Empowering Minds research conference, during Pearl’s Honours thesis defense, and another research poster based on the study data was presented at the 2024 Association for Psychological Science conference in San Francisco. Further analyses of the data collected during this study are wrapping up, and two manuscripts based on this study will be submitted for publication later this year.

What is the expected impact this project will have on the community?

Borderline personality disorder is a highly stigmatized diagnosis, and people who receive this diagnosis suffer from the effects of this stigma. This project was able to point out potential pathways to greater well-being for people with this diagnosis by investigating various methods of relating to the diagnosis and resisting the stigma associated with it. The community of people diagnosed with BPD will be impacted positively by having empirical evidence pointing to healthier ways of relating to their diagnosis and reducing self-stigma in particular. The broader psychological community will benefit from this novel research because it examines a new method of stigma resistance and provides an expanded understanding of how stigma resistance functions in a novel population.