Can Negative Attitudes toward Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder Be Changed? The Effect of Attending a Stepps Workshop

We sought to determine whether negative attitudes toward patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) can be modified through education. Mental health clinicians attended a 1-day workshop on the Systems Training for Emotional Predictability and Problem Solving (STEPPS) group treatment program for BPD. A questionnaire to assess attitudes towards BPD was given to 271 clinicians before and after the workshop. Following the workshop, clinicians endorsed having significantly greater empathy toward patients with BPD, and having greater awareness of the distress and low self-esteem associated with the disorder. Significant improvement was seen in the clinicians' attitudes toward patients with BPD and their desire to work with them. Clinicians were significantly less likely to express dislike for BPD patients. They also reported feeling more competent in their ability to treat these patients. The study offers preliminary evidence that negative attitudes toward patients with BPD can be modified through education.