How to Treat a Person With Borderline Personality Disorder

  • Jul 26, 2021
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How to Treat a Person With Borderline Personality Disorder

The borderline personality disorder (BPD) It is a mental disorder characterized by the inability of the person to manage emotions effectively. The disorder usually begins in adolescence or early adulthood and manifests primarily in the context of relationships, and only some or all of the person's relationships may be affected, depending on each case. A person diagnosed with borderline personality disorder may be functioning well in certain areas of his life, while his private area may be very disturbed. In this Psychology-Online article we show you some tips on how to treat a person with borderline personality disorder.

To identify a person with this disorder you can use the borderline personality disorder test. In order to know how to treat a person with borderline personality disorder, it is essential that you know the disease well. And it can be difficult to understand their feelings or behaviors and, therefore, know how to treat them. With this in mind, there are a number of things you can do to support them:

  • Try to be patient: if the person with borderline personality disorder is at a time when he has difficulties managing their emotions, try not to get involved in an argument caused by agitation of the moment. It may be better to wait until the two of you are calmer so that you can speak more calmly.
  • Don't judge him: try to listen to him without telling him that his reactions are inappropriate, exaggerated, or suggesting that he shouldn't feel the way he does. Whether or not you understand how it feels, it does not matter, it feels like that and it is important to recognize it, and above all, that the person perceives that recognition.
  • Stay calm and be consistent: If the person with borderline disorder is experiencing a series of overwhelming emotions, being supportive during those times can help them feel better and be more confident.
  • Help him remember his positive aspects: When someone you love is going through a bad time and has a hard time remembering the good things about himself, it may help if you remind him of the positive aspects of him.
  • Try to set clear limits and expectations: It is very important to leave the limits clear, since they tend to show excessive concern, feel rejected or abandoned, even if there are no reasons. And fuzzy boundaries can increase those feelings.
  • Plan to follow: When the person with borderline disorder is in a more stable time, ask what they would like you to do when they are unwell. That way, you can jointly create a plan to follow.
  • Observe and identify your triggers: talks with the person diagnosed with borderline personality disorder in order to observe and identify what types of situations or conversations trigger emotions or thoughts negatives.
  • Learn more aspects of borderline personality disorder and helps to end stigma: borderline personality disorder is a complicated diagnosis and the person with this diagnosis sometimes has to struggle with discrimination on the part of another people. Therefore, it is essential to increase knowledge about this disorder to gradually break the stigma that exists on the part of society. In Psychology-Online you will discover the causes, symptoms and treatment of BPD.
  • Take care of yourself: Caring for a person with this disorder can be very difficult and stressful. Your mental health is very important. Hence, you try to adopt appropriate coping strategies, techniques to manage stress and maintain your well-being.
How To Treat A Person With Borderline Personality Disorder - Tips For Treating A Person With Borderline Personality Disorder

In the event that you are the person who suffers from BPD, it is important that, also, know how to act. In addition to following the treatment there are a number of things you can do to help yourself. Keep in mind that different strategies work for different people at different times. That is why it is important that after trying various alternatives, you build your own plan:

Talk to someone

When you are not feeling well, it is very hard to face problems, but talking to someone can help you get through those difficult times. If you do not have someone in your environment to talk to, you can go to self-help groups where you will find the support of people who have gone through the same thing as you.

Record your mood in a journal

Writing how you feel in a journal can help you identify the first signs or triggers of your negative emotions or thoughts. In addition to this, it can also be interesting to write what works for you. We tend to focus on risk factors and lose sight of protective factors, which are fundamental to building a person's life.

Make a plan for when things go wrong

If you do not feel well, it is very difficult for you to describe to the people around you the help you need. That is why it is essential that when you feel better you establish a plan to follow for when you feel bad. It would be the plan for a time of crisis and may contain possible triggers, self-help strategies, or support resources.

Create a self-care trunk

Collect in a box or trunk all those things that could help you in hard times. It is a kind of self-help kit for your mental health that can contain favorite books, movies or music, motivational phrases, photos that comfort you, a candle, etc.

With these tips you can learn to treat a person with borderline personality disorder, that is, with yourself.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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