This is why we have made it an organisational mission to advocate for, and apply to our own services and influencing work, a holistic and social justice approach to mental health.

In this report we focus on the stories of the diagnosis of personality disorder.

Our findings

1. Health is compromised
   Receiving the diagnosis of personality disorder had significant implication for the quality of care people received, and increased people’s chances of being excluded from lifesaving care and support. In the mental health system, it is women that are predominantly impacted by the diagnosis as they account for 75% of the people that get given it.
2. Trauma experiences are ignored
   Despite the strong emphasis on trauma-informed care from Welsh Government, participants’ accounts revealed a widespread failure to acknowledge, assess, or understand individual trauma histories as part of routine clinical practice. When experiences were shared, they were often belittled or ignored.
3. The diagnosis of personality disorder can challenge human rights
   Our findings give cause for concern that this diagnosis goes against international human rights law, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Welsh Government guidance on reducing restrictive practices. In doing so, the diagnosis discriminates against a person’s rights to free and informed consent, privacy, liberty and security, personal integrity, and access to justice.

Content information: this report contains references to experiences relating to suicide and suicidal ideation, self harm, mental distress, and abuse.