title: A life tiptoeing: being a significant other to persons with borderline personality disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to describe significant others' experiences of living close to a person with borderline personality disorder and their experience of encounter with psychiatric care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected by free-text questionnaires and group interviews and were analyzed by qualitative content analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results revealed four categories: a life tiptoeing; powerlessness, guilt, and lifelong grief; feeling left out and abandoned; and lost trust. The first two categories describe the experience of living close to a person with BPD, and the last two categories describe encounter with psychiatric care.
authors: Nyckeln Competence Center for Pedagogics in Healthcare, Kalmar County Hospital, S-391 85 Kalmar, Sweden. susanneekdahl@ltkalmar.se
authors: Susanne
authors: S
authors: Ekdahl
authors: Ewa
authors: E
authors: Idvall
authors: Mats
authors: M
authors: Samuelsson
authors: Kent-Inge
authors: KI
authors: Perseius
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D012934:Social Isolation; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D035502:Trust / Q000523:psychology