Emotional pain: surviving mental health problems related to childhood experiences

Abstract

Emotional pain is described as intense by women who suffer from borderline personality disorder (BPD), and a high prevalence of reported childhood abuse was found in the literature and in research. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of women suffering from BPD with focus on emotional pain related to childhood. An explorative design was used. Data were collected from in-depth interviews consisting of women suffering from BPD (n = 13) and an interpretive content analysis was used to analyse the text. The findings revealed two main themes: 'Power' and 'Assessment of vulnerability'. The main theme 'Power' resulted in two categories: 'Surviving the feeling of being forced' and 'Surviving the feeling of having to assume responsibility'. The other main theme 'Assessment of vulnerability' had two categories: 'Surviving the feeling of being victimized' and 'Surviving the feeling of not being loved'. The findings suggest that nursing care need to develop an understanding of how these women endure their emotional pain, and try to survive as fighting spirits and how struggling became their way of life.

A hermeneutic approach to the characteristics of mental health nursing practice

“…In this stage, findings from the doctoral thesis by Holm (2009) based on four empirical articles (Holm & Severinsson 2008, 2010, Holm et al . 2009a,b) were used.…”

“…In the encounter between the nurse and patients, the latter are deemed vulnerable (Holm et al . 2009a).…”

“…Persons who suffer from emotional pain are desperate and distressed because they experience having failed in their responsibility as human beings (Holm 2009). Moral conflicts are often overwhelming, leading to unbearable guilt and shame (Holm et al . 2009a,b).…”

Shadows From the Past

“…Life events can lead to a situation that is unbearable, even if the event itself does not seem to be the reason for the wish to die. Those who experienced traumatic events early in life reported that such events were ever present in their mind, causing a double sense of loss (Holm, Bégat, & Severinsson, 2009;Rurup, Pasman et al, 2011) as well as pervasive and unremitting emotional pain. Although our participants referred to significant life events that had occurred decades previously, they experienced real emotional pain in the present.…”

A Qualitative Systematic Review of Older Persons’ Perceptions of Health, Ill Health, and Their Community Health Care Needs

“…This eighth stage has been characterised as an attempt to achieve spiritual reconciliation at the end of life [54] and involves a shift from a materialistic view of the world to a sacred dimension. If reconciliation is not achieved, one can experience emotional pain [55] or a feeling of estrangement [56]. …”