Practice Innovations, Vol 10(3), Sep 2025, 221-236; doi:10.1037/pri0000269
Personality disorders (especially borderline personality disorder) are highly stigmatized, and as such, clinicians often elect to withhold sharing the diagnosis with their patients. In addition, when diagnoses are shared, the conversations can be difficult for both the clinician and the patient, as personality disorders are often considered “lifelong” and “untreatable.” This article describes the PERSON approach for communicating personality disorder diagnoses to a patient, with an emphasis on borderline personality disorder. The PERSON approach builds on best practices on breaking “bad news” from the medical field, and emphasizes the importance of understanding the robust research findings demonstrating that personality changes and that personality pathology can be treated. The PERSON approach highlights the importance of the clinician’s self-reflection and preparation, empathically and directly communicating the diagnosis, allowing for reactions, acknowledging and combating stigma, ensuring that the conversation is ongoing, and nurturing hope for growth. Considering how common personality disorders are in mental health settings, the likelihood is that most mental health clinicians will encounter patients who meet criteria for a personality disorder. When the diagnosis is conveyed in a sensitive and respectful manner with faith that improvement is possible, patients should be more accepting of the diagnosis and may show stronger engagement with treatment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)