{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T17:32:42Z","timestamp":1786383162156,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":59,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786320000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) University College London Hospitals (UCLH) Biomedical Research Centre"},{"name":"National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) University College London Hospitals (UCLH) Biomedical Research Centre"},{"name":"National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) University College London Hospitals (UCLH) Biomedical Research Centre"},{"name":"Economic and Research Social Council UKRI","award":["ES\/P000592\/1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ES\/P000592\/1"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosmentalhealth.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLOS Ment Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Loneliness is common among people diagnosed with a \u2018personality disorder\u2019 and addressing this is a recovery goal. Little qualitative research has explored the experience of loneliness among people with a diagnosis of \u2018personality disorder\u2019. This study aimed to provide an in-depth understanding of loneliness among people with a \u2018personality disorder\u2019 diagnosis, and approaches used to alleviate it, informing future psychosocial intervention co-production. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 people in the United Kingdom from a range of sociodemographic backgrounds via charities and research networks. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. We identified five overarching themes: 1) the experience of loneliness, 2) the mutually reinforcing relationship between loneliness and mental health difficulties, 3) the perceived origins of loneliness, 4) a unique form of stigma, and 5) recovery rooted in managing to find a sense of belonging. Our findings suggest that loneliness is a painful and enduring experience that participants perceived to originate from invalidating early childhood experiences. These early experiences contributed to ongoing feelings of loneliness, persisting into adulthood. Loneliness was perceived to compound features of \u2018personality disorder\u2019 and\n                    <jats:italic>vice versa<\/jats:italic>\n                    . Experiences of stigma and discrimination related to the diagnosis of \u2018personality disorder\u2019 and any protected characteristics presented another barrier to achieving connections with others, further playing into an apparent mutually reinforcing relationship between loneliness and features of \u2018personality disorder\u2019. Our findings indicate a clear need to address loneliness in this group. The findings help identify potential targets for psychosocial interventions aimed at reducing loneliness and promoting social connectedness in people with a diagnosis of \u2018personality disorder\u2019. Psychosocial interventions, combining valued group-based activities and\/or safe social relationships alongside developing psychological skills for self-understanding and acceptance, have the potential to reduce feelings of loneliness.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmen.0000671","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T17:24:36Z","timestamp":1786382676000},"page":"e0000671","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pmen.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Experiences of loneliness among people with a diagnosis of \u2018personality disorder\u2019: A qualitative interview study in the UK"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"3","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8120-8679","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Sarah","family":"Ikhtabi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4022-8133","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Nicola","family":"Morant","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Annabel","family":"Rushforth","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sarah","family":"Rowe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eiluned","family":"Pearce","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2724-4326","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Oliver","family":"Dale","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9742-1359","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Alexandra","family":"Pitman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sonia","family":"Johnson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]]},"reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"pmen.0000671.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"130","DOI":"10.1186\/s12888-022-03767-9","article-title":"The experience of loneliness among people with a \u201cpersonality disorder\u201d diagnosis or traits: a qualitative meta-synthesis","volume":"22","author":"S Ikhtabi","year":"2022","journal-title":"BMC Psychiatry"},{"issue":"1","key":"pmen.0000671.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"21","DOI":"10.1186\/s12888-023-05471-8","article-title":"The prevalence and severity of loneliness and deficits in perceived social support among who have received a \u201cpersonality disorder\u201d diagnosis or have relevant traits: a systematic review","volume":"24","author":"S Ikhtabi","year":"2024","journal-title":"BMC Psychiatry"},{"issue":"11","key":"pmen.0000671.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"603","DOI":"10.1007\/s11920-022-01368-7","article-title":"Loneliness in personality disorders","volume":"24","author":"MA Reinhard","year":"2022","journal-title":"Curr Psychiatry Rep"},{"issue":"1","key":"pmen.0000671.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"589","DOI":"10.1186\/s12888-022-04171-z","article-title":"Current state of the evidence on community treatments for people with complex emotional needs: a scoping review","volume":"22","author":"S Ledden","year":"2022","journal-title":"BMC Psychiatry"},{"key":"pmen.0000671.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"317","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-clinpsy-032511-143131","article-title":"Personality disorders in DSM-5","volume":"8","author":"AE Skodol","year":"2012","journal-title":"Annu Rev Clin Psychol"},{"issue":"9969","key":"pmen.0000671.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"717","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(14)61995-4","article-title":"Classification, assessment, prevalence, and effect of personality disorder","volume":"385","author":"P Tyrer","year":"2015","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"issue":"1","key":"pmen.0000671.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"11","DOI":"10.1007\/s11920-015-0654-1","article-title":"The stigma of personality disorders","volume":"18","author":"L Sheehan","year":"2016","journal-title":"Curr Psychiatry Rep"},{"issue":"5","key":"pmen.0000671.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"972","DOI":"10.1111\/inm.12737","article-title":"Borderline personality disorder: to diagnose or not to diagnose? 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