Multidisciplinary team care and the challenges of borderline personality disorder

ObjectiveThere are relatively few papers addressing the challenges faced in the care of people with Borderline Personality Disorder in healthcare systems. We therefore present a clinical perspective on multidisciplinary team management of Borderline Personality Disorder.ConclusionsBorderline Personality Disorder has historically attracted significant stigma, partly due to negative, inaccurate beliefs regarding prognosis. Unique challenges may be encountered treating this condition, which, if not appropriately recognised and managed, contribute to and perpetuate stigma and poor outcomes. Potential challenges that may arise for multidisciplinary team care include splitting of teams, negative emotional contagion, fragmentation of care, patient re-traumatisation, frequent admissions, medicalisation, and de-medicalisation of Borderline Personality Disorder. We describe these challenges to facilitate multidisciplinary team discussions that promote greater awareness and better management for the benefit of patients and clinicians.