Eleanor White is an Autistic PhD student at the University of Edinburgh who is looking for participants for a study on the misdiagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD) for Autistic women and gender diverse individuals. BPD/EUPD misdiagnosis for these groups is a common pattern and has been brought up in the community. However, there is not a lot of research on this topic, and even less that centers Autistic voice. This research aims to contribute to the knowledge of autism and BPD/EUPD through lived experience.
Inclusion criteria are:
- Are 18+
- Live in the UK
- Identify as a woman or as gender diverse
- Have a previous diagnosis of BPD or EUPD
- Have an autism diagnosis*
- Do not identify with your BPD/EUPD diagnosis or have had it removed
*I recognize the importance of self-diagnosis. However, a formal diagnosis is required to investigate diagnostic experiences.
Expected commitment from participants:
- Stage one involves a 2-hour zine workshop where participants will be asked to create a zine reflecting their experiences being misdiagnosed with BPD/EUPD as an Autistic individual.
- The second stage includes a one-on-one interview of up to 1 hour, during which participants will be asked to reflect on their zine and answer further questions about their experiences with misdiagnosis, their Autistic identity, and how this has impacted their lives.
- There will be options to participate online or in person (for those located in Edinburgh).
- The timing of the workshops will be chosen once enough participants are recruited to fill a workshop, where a scheduling app will be used to choose a time that suits.
- Interviews will be scheduled following the workshop, and will be at the time (and location, if in-person) chosen by the individual participant.
Closing date to apply: 15th April 2026
Prior to participation, participants will be sent a Pro Forma that asks for general information, but also how Eleanor can best individually support them, and if there are any topics that they do not want discussed. Eleanor will work to accommodate any needs or adjustments. All participant information forms are written accessibly. For the zine workshop, scheduling will be prioritized on participants’ time, with a scheduling app sent out to the workshop groups to choose the best time. For the individual interview stage, the choice of time will be completely up to the participants to allow for comfort. If participants choose to participate in person (in Edinburgh), the location of the interview will be their choice.
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