Social inclusion and personality disorder

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the process of recovery for people diagnosed with personality disorder. This is related to the application of the new meaning of recovery from mental illness as explored by members of The Haven which, as the service setting for the study, addresses the problems of a client group that suffers significant social exclusion and aims to examine efforts which attempt to reverse this social exclusion.

Design/methodology/approach

A participatory action research approach was chosen for this study and The Haven Research Group, comprised of the author and Haven clients, formulated proposed research questions and conducted focus groups and individual client interviews with 66 participants, over a period of three years. The group has been concerned with the effectiveness of The Haven as a recovery tool from the perspective of service users and carers.

Findings

An examination of emerging themes, and the interplay between themes, gives insight into what participants considered to be the key steps to recovery for someone with a personality disorder diagnosis. From this thematic analysis, a map is proposed of the journey of recovery for people with the diagnosis.

Practical implications

As an alternative to the historically sequential path of rehabilitation and proposed recovery, this study offers a new, socially inclusive way of working with people who have a personality disorder diagnosis where they may choose to retain a haven while continuing to develop and progress on their chosen path in the wider world.

Social implications

The Haven has emerged as a unique model where therapeutic community principles have been combined with a crisis unit which shows that it is possible to work effectively with a relatively large number of people with personality disorder, well in excess of 100 at one time, many of whom had not made progress in other service settings, resulting in significant financial savings to the health, social care and criminal justice system.

Originality/value

This study offers contributions to knowledge in terms of the service design and proposes a new model of recovery in personality disorder. This is defined as a journey of small steps highlighting recovery as a process rather than a goal, leading to the emergence of the new concept of transitional recovery.

Citation

Castillo, H. (2013), "Social inclusion and personality disorder", Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 147-155. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-05-2013-0019