Experts call for 'misleading' personality disorder diagnosis for children to be banned

Mental health experts and medical professionals are calling on the Health Secretary to immediately ban the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in children and young people in the UK. An open letter spearheaded by former health minister Sir Norman Lamb, alongside organisations such as the Royal College of Nursing, the British Psychological Society, and the Royal College of General Practitioners, has garnered over 1,000 verified signatures.

The letter urges medical practitioners to "abandon" the label 'personality disorder' entirely saying: "Children should not be diagnosed with a personality disorder in the UK." It argues that these "misleading" and "stigmatising" descriptions do more "harm and worse treatment" for patients, leaving "traumatised children" believing "they have deficits in their personality".

The letter highlights that although up to 2% of the UK population meets the criteria for BPD, mental health professionals widely consider labelling children with a personality disorder as "abhorrent, unethical, harmful, dubious, but not least - controversial."

Patients with BPD are often perceived as emotionally unstable or manipulative. Experts suggest that this stigma surrounding the diagnosis is so ingrained within the mental health profession that warning signs of self-harm or suicide might be disregarded, as professionals may believe the patient is fabricating their symptoms or seeking attention, reports the Express.

The letter highlights the "lived experiences" of BPD patients who have faced substandard care, including instances such as "having self-harm wounds stitched without anesthetic and being denied physical health care". It points out the high suicide risk among individuals with BPD and cautions that labelling young people with this diagnosis suggests to healthcare professionals "they have a flawed personality" instead of recognising a severe mental illness that stems from trauma.

Signed by numerous respected medical professionals, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and mental health nurses and carers, the letter notes that despite societal attitudes towards BPD improving, the stigma within the healthcare sector "has not noticeably declined over the past 25 years."

With the election on the horizon, the open letter urges for a prohibition on diagnosing young people with BPD in the UK "until there is conclusive proof that this diagnosis does not harm children". The letter firmly states: "We know many ways to help traumatised children and not one of them relies on those around them believing they have deficits in their personality."

Due to the pre-election period, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has not provided a comment.