Why is education important in the field of personality disorder?

Education about personality disorder is of recognised benefit to those who suffer with these
conditions, members of their social networks, and the staff, agencies and services involved with this patient group.

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Personality disorder is common in the general population. People with personality disorder
frequently have contact with many different services and agencies including primary care,
general health, mental health, housing, social work, criminal justice and third sector services.
The difficulties with which people with personality disorder present may vary depending on the
agency or service involved. For example, an individual may present to the housing services as
someone with difficulty in maintaining a tenancy whereas the Emergency Department may view
the person’s primary problem as repeated overdoses. For social services, childcare and
parenting issues may be viewed as the principal problem, and so on.

The complexity associated with personality disorder means that patients with the condition
frequently pose significant challenges to the professionals working with them. Occasionally
professionals can find it hard to understand why individuals present as they do, and the
emotional responses of professionals to particular behaviours or patterns of behaviour can be
intense and sometimes unhelpful. Education with the aim of enhancing knowledge, attitudes
and skills can be of real value in helping professionals become more aware of the issues which
frequently accompany personality disorder. This includes factual knowledge about these
conditions, contributing factors, prognosis and treatment approaches. In turn, improved
knowledge and active self-reflection can contribute to more helpful attitudes and more
compassionate responses towards patients with these conditions.