Aims: To examine levels of burnout among staff working in community-based services for people with personality disorder (PD) and to explore factors which add to or lower the risk of burnout among people working in such services.
Methods: In-depth interviews with staff working at 11 dedicated community-based personality disorder services in England together with a cross-sectional staff survey using the Maslach Burnout Inventory.
Results: Levels of burnout were generally lower than those reported in previous studies among mental health workers and levels of personal accomplishment were higher. Staff reported positive as well as negative experiences of working with people with PD. Strong team-work, clear leadership and opportunities for reflective practice were thought to protect staff from burnout.
Conclusions: The low levels of burnout we found may reflect the early stage of the development of these services. However, it is also possible that working with people with PD does not in itself lead to burnout, especially when services are organized to share and contain work-related anxiety.