Current Campaigns

#BPDAwareness

Personality Disorders

To increase funding & develop better understanding, diagnosis and treatment. There is already an active petition along these lines so we will concentrate on emailing MPs and other influential people.

***UPDATE***

My MP passed my letter on to Jackie Doyle-Price, the Under Secretary of State for Mental Health and Inequalities who says that the Consensus Statement has been brought to the attention of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. She says that they are working with NHS England to examine the services available and the possible implications for mental health services.

It then goes on to say what the Government is doing for mental health services and funding:

The Consensus statement was sent to Parliament in January 2018. In our letter we are asking MPs to refamiliarise themselves with the content and to take action to improve the services on offer.

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The letter below can be copied an pasted into an email. You will need to add recipient details which can be found by following these links:

They Work For You – find your representative

Parliament – find your MP contact details

cc: norman.lamb.mp@parliament.uk

Subject: Personality Disorders

Dear

In the mental health community May is Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness month, and Mental Health Awareness week runs from the 14th to the 20th May 2018.

In January 2018, Parliament received the “Consensus Statement for People with Complex Mental Health Difficulties who are diagnosed with a Personality Disorder”. This statement is a comprehensive and realistic study of a range of disorders that are often misdiagnosed and left untreated.

“Current estimates suggest that 1-5% of adolescents in the UK could meet the diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD).”

“[personality disorder] is a diagnosis which is particularly common among patients attending general and psychiatric hospitals. Many are regular attenders in general practice”

“over time, [people with a personality disorder] are much more vulnerable to developing other health problems, such as anxiety and depression, as well as problems with their use of alcohol and drugs. They are also more likely to have physical health problems such as cardiovascular disease and obesity”

“In the prison population, it is estimated that between 60 and 70% have met the diagnostic criteria of a personality disorder”

“The NHS has not adequately met the complex needs of people given a diagnostic label of personality disorder”

{source: Consensus Statement for People with Complex Mental Health Difficulties who are diagnosed with a Personality Disorder}

As my elected Member of Parliament I am asking you to:

Support Parliamentary Bills which will improve the lives of those suffering with a mental illness

Support calls for increased funding for Personality Disorders and mental health in general. Mental Health receives 22 times less funding than cancer.

Address the need for further research into causes, prevention and effective treatment.

Please take the time to read through the consensus statement and to engage with your constituents, local charities and local NHS trust to learn about what more can be done.

I have attached a copy of the consensus statement: Consensus Statement pdf

Thank you

Yours sincerely