A Life Tiptoeing: Being a Significant Other to Persons With Borderline Personality Disorder

AimThe aim of this study was to describe significant others' experiences of living close to a person with borderline personality disorder and their experience of encounter with psychiatric care.MethodsData were collected by free-text questionnaires and group interviews and were analyzed by qualitative content analysis.Results and ConclusionThe results revealed four categories: a life tiptoeing; powerlessness, guilt, and lifelong grief; feeling left out and abandoned; and lost trust. The first two categories describe the experience of living close to a person with BPD, and the last two categories describe encounter with psychiatric care.