Experiences of BPD Caregivers and Solutions for Caregiver Assistance: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Individuals diagnosed with borderline personality disorder often battle overwhelming emotions and self-destructive tendencies such as self-harm and suicidal ideation, which may necessitate hospitalization and long-term care. These challenging aspects of borderline personality disorder put an immense strain on the mental health and familial relationships of loved ones of borderline individuals. Additionally, family attitudes towards the treatment of individuals with borderline personality disorder are currently complicated by the fact that the etiology of the disorder hypothesizes a role of adverse childhood experiences and familial aggregation in the onset of borderline personality disorder. This systematic review examines the experiences of family members of individuals with borderline personality disorder from a service user perspective as they navigate seeking out care for themselves and their loved ones, approaches that have been taken thus far to assist in the therapeutic treatment and psychoeducation of family members of BPD individuals, and areas in which warrant further consideration.