Psychiatrists’ motives for compulsory care of patients with borderline personality disorder – a questionnaire study

Clinical Ethics 17 (4):377-390 (2022)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

IntroductionBorderline personality disorder patients are often subjected to inpatient compulsory care due to suicidal behaviour. However, inpatient care is usually advised against as it can have detrimental effects, including increased suicidality.AimTo investigate what motives psychiatrists have for treating borderline personality disorder patients under compulsory care.Materials and MethodsA questionnaire survey was distributed to all psychiatrists and registrars in psychiatry working at mental health emergency units or inpatient wards in Sweden. The questionnaire contained questions with fixed response alternatives, with room for comments, about the respondents’ motives for practising compulsory care of borderline personality disorder patients. The responses were analysed quantitatively with descriptive statistics, and comments were analysed with qualitative descriptive content analysis.ResultsThe psychiatrists’ views were divided on when it was justified to treat borderline personality disorder patients under compulsory care, as were their views on borderline personality disorder patients’ decision competence. When there was an assessed risk of harm, 53% were positive to compulsory care of decision-competent borderline personality disorder patients and another 31% because they considered the patients to be decision incompetent in such situations. Adding the risk of harm caused many respondents to alter their assessment of the patient from decision competent to decision incompetent.ConclusionThe large variations in doctors’ opinions indicate that the care of borderline personality disorder patients is arbitrary. Further, the assessed risk of harm increases the use of compulsory care, even though such care is advised against in clinical guidelines, has questionable legal support, and could lead to an increased suicide risk over time.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,616

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

What is Borderline Personality Disorder?John-Michael Kuczynski - 2018 - Madison, WI, USA: Freud Institute.
Psychiatric Euthanasia and the Ontology of Mental Disorder.Hane Htut Maung - 2020 - Journal of Applied Philosophy 38 (1):136-154.
Decision making capacity should not be decisive in emergencies.Dieneke Hubbeling - 2014 - Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy 17 (2):229-238.
The Myth of Borderline Personality Disorder.John-Michael Kuczynski - 2020 - Madison, WI, USA: Freud Institute.

Analytics

Added to PP
2022-11-21

Downloads
7 (#1,201,127)

6 months
5 (#246,492)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?