People in Sheffield with personality disorders are set to benefit from some newly funded research being carried out by Sheffield University and Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS FT (SHSC).

The researchers will look at new approaches to treatment and support for people who experience problems associated with Borderline Personality Disorder.

They have been given a share of £22.5 million funding as part of a UK-wide mental health platform. Researchers in Sheffield, Plymouth, Oxford, Cambridge and Exeter, together with people who have experienced personality disorders will help discover new approaches for diagnosis, treatment and support for Borderline Personality Disorder.

People with Borderline Personality Disorder often experience difficulties in relationships, managing emotions and impulsiveness, as well as self harm and suicidal feelings. Around 10 per cent of those diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder by suicide, meaning that it is a life-threatening condition.

People with lived experience of these difficulties will be involved from the outset, and will help to design and conduct the research. The research will use innovative ways to capture information about people's everyday experiences of these problems. Participants will also be invited to take part in in-depth interviews to develop a better understanding of experiences that can be triggering as well as ways of coping. We will use this knowledge to develop new ways of helping people with these problems, and to support professionals working with them.

Speaking about the research Professor Scott Weich from University of Sheffield said; "We want to include people in our research who might not necessarily identify with the diagnosis, or who might not yet have been given a diagnosis, and are currently excluded from mental healthcare . We will work with drug and alcohol services, prisons and probation services."

The research will begin in April 2024 and continue for five years.