New NICE guidelines on personality disorders introduced

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has introduced a new quality standard that aims to improve the way personality disorders are treated within the NHS.

Consisting of seven statements highlighting different aspects of care for people with borderline and antisocial personality disorders, the standard emphasises the importance of structured clinical assessments and the limitation of antipsychotic or sedative medication to short-term applications where possible.

People with borderline personality disorder should be offered a range of psychological therapies, according to NICE, while those with antisocial personality disorder should be offered group-based cognitive and behavioural treatment.

The quality standard also includes statements on structured care plans and supervision for mental health professionals supporting people with personality disorders, while emphasising the need for patients to be involved in decisions about their care.

Professor Gill Leng, deputy chief executive of NICE, said: "This quality standard sets out the actions that health and social care services should take to ensure people with personality disorders are receiving the best care they need."