The experiences of autistic adults who were previously diagnosed with borderline or emotionally unstable personality disorder: A phenomenological study.

ABSTRACT:

Lay abstract

Autistic people face many barriers to receiving an autism diagnosis. Often, they may be misdiagnosed with borderline personality disorder instead. For our study, we interviewed 10 autistic adults who had previously been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. This helped us to better understand their experiences. They explained how borderline personality disorder is quite stigmatised and may suggest that people are to blame for their differences in behaviour. They found the treatments they had to try for borderline personality disorder to be harmful. For example, these treatments promoted 'masking'. Previous research showed that masking can be harmful for autistic people, linking it to risk of suicide. This diagnosis also led to healthcare professionals neglect

SUBMITTER: Tamilson B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11816473 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature