A significant association was found between duration of diagnosed BPD and whether respondents had received an adequate explanation of their diagnosis: χ2 (4, n = 106) =9.54, P = .049; ‘adequate’ meaning that information given to them by health professionals met their personal require-ments for understanding the diagnosis and its management. Forty-five per cent who reported not receiving an adequate explanation had duration of diagnosed BPD greater than 5 years compared with those with duration of 1–5 years (27.5%) and less than 1 year (27.5%). Of concern, 37.8% (n=45/119)of respondents said that no health professional had explained what a BPD diagnosis means, and 19.3% (n = 23) said it had been explained but they had not understood the explanation.