Effects of diagnostic label construction and gender on stigma about borderline personality disorder.

Abstract

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is highly stigmatized. Although person-first labels are now used for most mental illnesses (e.g., a person with schizophrenia) rather than premodified noun labels (e.g., "he is a schizophrenic"), it is still common to hear people referred to as "borderlines." In a series of two experimental studies, we examined how diagnostic labels influence negative attitudes about BPD. In Study 1, we presented vignettes with no diagnostic label, a person-first label, or a premodified noun label and compared BPD vignettes to schizophrenia vignettes. In Study 2, we again examined the influence of diagnostic label on attitudes about BPD and manipulated the gender depicted in the BPD vignettes. In Study 1, negative attitudes related to anger and blame were greater for BPD than schizophrenia. Diagnosis and label construction did not interact. In Study 2, we found little evidence of gender effects, except that male characters with BPD were considered more dangerous and evoked more fear, while female characters were viewed with greater pity. Gender and label construction did not interact. Although we expected that attitudes would be most negative in the premodified noun label condition and least negative in the person-first condition, this was not the case. In both Studies 1 and 2, the condition with no diagnostic label produced the greatest negative attitudes in some but not all stigma domains, while person-first and premodified noun labels did not differ. Results suggest that in some contexts, diagnostic labels reduce negative attitudes about BPD regardless of their specific construction.

Commenting and connecting: A thematic analysis of responses to YouTube vlogs about borderline personality disorder

“…The vlogs were destigmatizing, informing and educating others on BPD, a disorder that is highly stigmatized and misunderstood ( Cone, 2020 ; Kirtley et al, 2019 ; Masland and Null, 2021 ; Zimmerman et al, 2015 ). Researchers Thomas et al (2015) have highlighted the need for further research into the utilization of online interventions in reducing stigma – and self-stigma – for those suffering with mental health issues.…”

“…Even though there are more females than males with BPD ( APA, 2013 ), males can also receive a BPD diagnosis. There is also evidence that females may experience the disorder differently to their male counterparts ( Álvarez-Tomás et al, 2019 ; Masland and Null, 2021 ). Therefore, male vloggers may have given voice to a different perspective and, as such, elicited different comments.…”

“…BPD is highly stigmatized ( Cone, 2020 ; Kirtley et al, 2019 ; Masland and Null, 2021 ). Stigma can become internalized by individuals with BPD ( Grambal et al, 2016 ; Quenneville et al, 2020 ) and perceived BPD stigma can prevent people from accessing supports ( Carrotte et al, 2019 ).…”

A mixed method comparison of stigma toward autism and schizophrenia and effects of person-first versus identity-first language

“…However, because person-first language in practice is typically restricted to conditions that are stigmatized, such efforts may backfire and unintentionally accentuate stigma rather than reduce it ( 43 ). While previous literature has suggested an association between identity-first language and greater stigma ( 44 ), more recent findings suggest that it is the lack of an explicit diagnostic label, rather than the phrasing of the label, that elicits the greatest impact on stigma ( 45 , 46 ). In particular, vignettes of people with schizophrenia were associated with greater fear, anger, blame, and perceived danger when a diagnostic label was not provided, while these responses did not differ significantly when person-first and identity-first labels were used ( 46 ).…”

Effects of Language on Social Essentialist Beliefs and Stigma about Mental Illness

“…Other studies have shown that using person-first language to refer to individuals with MI results in higher levels of tolerance among professional counselors and community members (Granello & Gibbs, 2016;. These findings have also failed to replicate, suggesting that subtle differences in language may not impact stigmatizing attitudes about MI (Martinelli, 2020;Masland & Null, 2021;Nobel & Marson, 2016).…”