TY - JOUR
T1 - Mental health support in the perinatal period for women with a personality disorder diagnosis
T2 - A qualitative study of women’s experiences
AU - Zacharia, Alice
AU - Taylor, Billie Lever
AU - Sweeney, Angela
AU - Morant, Nicola
AU - Howard, Louise M.
AU - Johnson, Sonia
N1 - Funding Information:
This article summarizes independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its PGfAR Programme (Grant Reference Number RP-PG-1210-12002). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
Funding Information:
London, UK (L. M. H.). This article summarizes independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its PGfAR Programme (Grant Reference Number RP-PG-1210-12002). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. S.J. is supported by the NIHR Mental Health Research Policy Unit, the NIHR Collaboration for Leader-ship in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) North Thames, and the UCLH Biomedical Research Centre. L.M.H. was supported by a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Research Professorship (NIHR-RP-R32?011). She is now partly supported by the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust/King?s College London Biomedical Research Centre and is also supported by the NIHR Mental Health Research Policy Unit. A.S. is funded by a NIHR Post-Doctoral Fellowship. The authors are very grateful indeed for the advice and support received from the Perinatal Service User and Carer Advisory Group, and from the wider ESMI study team. The study team would also like to thank all the women who gave up their time to take part in the study.
Funding Information:
S.J. is supported by the NIHR Mental Health Research Policy Unit, the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) North Thames, and the UCLH Biomedical Research Centre. L.M.H. was supported by a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Research Professorship (NIHR-RP-R32–011). She is now partly supported by the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust/King’s College London Biomedical Research Centre and is also supported by the NIHR Mental Health Research Policy Unit. A.S. is funded by a NIHR Post-Doctoral Fellowship. The authors are very grateful indeed for the advice and support received from the Perinatal Service User and Carer Advisory Group, and from the wider ESMI study team. The study team would also like to thank all the women who gave up their time to take part in the study. Address correspondence to Billie Lever Taylor, DClinPsy, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, Maple House, 149 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1T 7NF, UK. E-mail: [email protected]
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Guilford Press.
PY - 2021/8
Y1 - 2021/8
N2 - Women who receive a diagnosis of personality disorder may face particular challenges in the context of having a baby. However, this area has received little attention. This study aimed to qualitatively explore experiences of mental health support during the perinatal period in a group of mothers who self-reported having a personality disorder diagnosis. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 women who received mental health support during the perinatal period. These data were analyzed thematically. Key themes related to women feeling judged to be unfit mothers; not feeling heard or understood by services; feeling that services struggled with the complexity of their needs; valuing specialist support to cope with their struggles in motherhood; and valuing professional relationships that resembled real-life friendships. Our findings raise questions about how best to provide support to this group of women and about the use and consequences of the diagnosis of personality disorder among new mothers.
AB - Women who receive a diagnosis of personality disorder may face particular challenges in the context of having a baby. However, this area has received little attention. This study aimed to qualitatively explore experiences of mental health support during the perinatal period in a group of mothers who self-reported having a personality disorder diagnosis. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 women who received mental health support during the perinatal period. These data were analyzed thematically. Key themes related to women feeling judged to be unfit mothers; not feeling heard or understood by services; feeling that services struggled with the complexity of their needs; valuing specialist support to cope with their struggles in motherhood; and valuing professional relationships that resembled real-life friendships. Our findings raise questions about how best to provide support to this group of women and about the use and consequences of the diagnosis of personality disorder among new mothers.
KW - perinatal
KW - personality disorder
KW - mental health
KW - qualitative
KW - women
KW - mothers
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85112719539&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1521/pedi_2020_34_482
DO - 10.1521/pedi_2020_34_482
M3 - Article
SN - 0885-579X
VL - 35
SP - 589
EP - 604
JO - Journal of Personality Disorders
JF - Journal of Personality Disorders
IS - 4
ER -
