Ten-year analysis of the proportion of public sector mental health service consumers with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder

Objective Few studies have examined the proportion Australian public sector mental health consumers with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Limiting their visibility in mental health policy and service planning decisions.Method We examined a non-identifiable statewide dataset comprising number of distinct consumers who had an episode of care closed each financial year. We identified consumers with an ICD-10-AM diagnosis of BPD recorded per financial year (BPD-current) or at any time up until June 2024 (BPD-anytime). Mann-Kendall (M-K) trend test examined BPD diagnosis over time and negative binomial regression analysis explored trend variation by sex.Results Between 2014 and 2024, the percentage of consumers with a diagnosis of BPD-current mental health services trended upwards in metropolitan (4.7% to 10.1%) and rural and remote (3.7% to 13.5%) regions. Examination of BPD-anytime data suggested that the percentage of mental health consumers with this diagnosis may be as high as 19%. Among distinct mental health consumers, the rates of a recorded diagnosis of BPD (current and anytime) were significantly higher in women compared to men.Conclusions People with a diagnosis of BPD represent a significant proportion of mental health service users, necessitating greater availability of evidence-based and recovery-focussed interventions.