Don′t set us aside!Experiences of families of people with BPD who have access to Brief admission:a phenomenological perspective

Aim To highlight the experiences of family members of people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and self-harming behaviour who have access to brief admission Methods To understand the families lived experience a phenomenological lifeworld perspective was adopted to this study. Twelve in-depht interviews were performed in November and December 2021 with family members of people with BPD and self-harming behaviour who have accessed BA. The phenomenological life-world perspective guided the analysis. Results Families' life-world was characterized by anxiety and constant protection of their loved one. They live with constant fear of how their loved ones are feeling and whether they will injure themselves. When access to BA was available this gave hope and provided conditions for families to maintain everyday routines and also enhanced relationships among family members. When families' loved ones were denied BA, they felt betrayed which contributed to negative feelings towards the medical profession, and the families lost confidence in psychiatry. Conclusion By interviewing families of people with BPD and self-harming behaviour who had access to BA, it emerged they possess valuable knowledge. BA can be developed if the needs of families are taken into consideration, and if families are given the opportunity to share emotions and the high burden of responsibility with staff or families in similar situations. If health care staff gives family members a more central role in care and makes their shared life-world visible it could thereby hopefully increase well-being and benefits for the whole family

Automated summary

This study adopted a phenomenological lifeworld perspective and conducted in-depth interviews with family members of individuals with borderline personality disorder and self-harming behavior who had access to brief admission. The family members' lived experience was characterized by anxiety and constant protection of their loved one. Access to brief admission provided hope, maintained everyday routines, and enhanced relationships among family members. However, being denied brief admission led to feelings of betrayal and loss of confidence in psychiatry. Taking into consideration the needs of families and allowing them to share emotions and responsibility could potentially improve brief admission and increase overall well-being and benefits for the whole family.