Since 2011, Lived Experience Australia has run two national surveys asking people with a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder, and the people that support them, what their experience of the mental health system has actually been like.

 

A great deal of what's written about BPD comes from clinicians and researchers studying the condition from the outside. This research comes from consumers and carers describing it in their own words. That evidence directly informed the National Health and Medical Research Council's Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of BPD, still the reference point for how BPD is meant to be treated in Australia.

 

Lived Experience Australia in partnership with the Australian BPD Foundation and Flinders University are now undertaking a third round of surveys to understand what has changed and what has not since the previous surveys were completed. 

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Understanding of BPD has evolved significantly since this survey was first conducted in 2011 and repeated in 2017. Updates to evidence-based clinical guidelines have reshaped how this mental health condition is understood, diagnosed and treated. Mental health services and supports have also evolved since our last survey, with many new services such as Medicare Mental Health Centres and more lived experience peer work roles. This 2026 survey reflects these changes.

 

The survey is open now to anyone affected by BPD anywhere in Australia. That includes people with a diagnosis of BPD, and the partners, parents, carers, family members, friends and kin who support them. It doesn't matter whether someone has taken part in LEA's research before or is hearing about it for the first time.

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The surveys take approximately 30-60 minutes to complete and will be open until Monday 16 November 2026.

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For more information about the project, review the Participant Information and Consent Form

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This project has been approved by the Flinders University Human Research Ethics Committee (No.10079).​

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