title: An experimental Investigation of the Impact of Personality Disorder Diagnosis on Clinicians: Can We See Past the Borderline?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is concern that diagnostic labels for psychiatric disorders may invoke damaging stigma, stereotypes and misunderstanding.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated clinicians' reactions to diagnostic labelling by examining their positive and negative reactions to the label borderline personality disorder (BPD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Mental health professionals (n = 265) viewed a videotape of a patient suffering from panic disorder and agoraphobia undergoing assessment. Prior to viewing the videotape, participants were randomly allocated to one of three conditions and were given the following information about the patient: (a) general background information; (b) additional descriptive information about behaviour corresponding to BPD; and (c) additional descriptive information about behaviour corresponding to BPD, but explicitly adding BPD as a possible comorbid diagnostic label. All participants were then asked to note things they had seen in the videotape that made them feel optimistic or pessimistic about treatment outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants in the group that were explicitly informed that the patient had a BPD diagnostic label reported significantly fewer reasons to be optimistic than the other two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Diagnostic labels may negatively impact on clinicians' judgments and perceptions of individuals and therefore clinicians should think carefully about whether, and how, they use diagnoses and efforts should be made to destigmatize diagnostic terms.
authors: Kingston University,and St. George's Hospital Medical School,London,UK.
authors: Danny C K
authors: DC
authors: Lam
authors: South West London and St Georges NHS Trust,London,UK.
authors: Elena V
authors: EV
authors: Poplavskaya
authors: University of Bath,UK.
authors: Paul M
authors: PM
authors: Salkovskis
authors: University of Bath,UK.
authors: Lorna I
authors: LI
authors: Hogg
authors: University of Bath,UK.
authors: Holly
authors: H
authors: Panting
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011287:Prejudice / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Borderline personality disorder; diagnosis; panic disorder