Approved mental health professionals (AMHPs) decision-making regarding detention of adults diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD)

Abstract

The present study explored the decision-making of Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs) for compulsory admissions for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) under the Mental Health Act, 1983 (MHA). A sample of 101 AMHPs were recruited from across England and randomised to an online vignette in which the diagnosis was manipulated as ‘borderline personality disorder’, ‘complex trauma’, or no diagnosis. All other details in the vignette were identical. We assessed the AMHPs’ attitudes towards personality disorders using a validated scale, and the degree of risk that was perceived within the vignette. Most AMHPs did not recommend detention, and there was no evidence that the manipulation of the diagnosis in the vignette made a difference to the likelihood of detention recommendation. However, negative attitudes towards personality disorder and perceived risk to self significantly predicted detention likelihood. Developing ways to mitigate the effect of individual attitudes on detention decisions is a research priority.