Effective Strategies for Supporting a Loved One with BPD

Handling a person with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is not a simple task. If you’re in a relationship with someone who has BPD, you must know how difficult it is to tackle day-to-day tasks. BPD is a mental disorder that causes conflict and instability in interpersonal relationships. Some of the most common symptoms of BPD are impulsivity, unpredictable emotions, harm to oneself, and unstable self-image.

While it’s not easy to deal with people with BPD, it’s not impossible. There are certain ways to communicate with such people, show concern towards them, support them, and connect with them.

Here are some ways that can help you with a person with BPD.

Provide Support

Living with this type of mental disorder is exhausting in itself; therefore, it’s necessary to offer support and care to people feeling it. The simplest thing you can do is ask them what’s wrong or show them support when they need it the most. You don’t have to go the extra mile for them; just staying there and having their back is enough to tell them that there’s someone who cares for them.

Validate Emotions

Just because you’re not feeling them does not mean that their emotions do not exist. The least you can do is validate whatever they are feeling with undivided attention and empathy. It’s important to be all ears when it comes to an understanding the other person.

It’s important to listen to them when they are sharing something with you and read their body language as well. If they find it difficult, then all you have to say is ‘yes, it does sound difficult to deal with’ to validate their emotions.

Communicate Properly

To handle such cases with care, it’s necessary to communicate properly. Tell your loved one that you want to understand them, and you’re all ears to their problem. You need to show genuine care towards them, so the best way is to ask questions and be concerned about them. It will help them feel heard, and there’s a good chance that they might open up to you as well.

Offer Support to Their Treatment Plan

If your loved one is going through a treatment plan, the best thing is to support them during it. You don’t have to suggest them any methods or strategies; you can encourage them to go to their therapist or regularly attend meetings. Following a consistent treatment plan is necessary for their recovery, so there is nothing better than forcing them to go to their doctor.

Remind them of Their Positive Traits

Just because your loved one is suffering from something does not mean that they don’t possess any positive trait. Since they are already suffering from a major illness, there is nothing better than reminding them about the good things in their life.

There’s always a stigma attached to mental disorders that can put the other person down, but you can uplift them using this way. It’s one of the simplest ways to help them cherish their best traits and develop positive feelings towards others.

Learn Everything about BPD

There are very few people who know about BPD; therefore, you need to get all the information. Handling a patient with a similar disorder can become difficult if you’re not aware of the situation. There might be some possible triggers that you should be careful about; therefore, you need to make sure that you’re aware of them.

There is a lot of information available on the internet that you can bring to your use or simply contact a therapist to learn about it.

Pay Attention to Suicide & Self-Harm Threats

If the person suffering from BPD threatens you with self-harm or suicide, then you must pay attention to those threats. They see these threats as a form of manipulation and attention-seeking, so when they start behaving like it, then you need to attend to them. Don’t consider them null-threats, and make sure to listen to them when they are down.

Make Them Feel Responsible

You can easily fall into the caretaking role when you’re in contact with a person suffering from BPD. It’s easy to start taking care of someone, but you need to make them feel responsible for certain things. It’s one of the best things that you can do for them.

You are not basically withdrawing your care and support from them but are leaving them to cope with the disease without external support. It’s the kindest help you can offer to them that will lead to inner encouragement and confidence.

Show Confidence in Them

Many people may already be questioning your loved one with BPD, so the best thing you can do is show support towards them. The person going through BPD must have faced past trauma in their life that must have influenced their sense of safety and control. The ideal thing to do in this situation is to show them respect to strengthen their self-esteem.

Allow them to make decisions and show your confidence in them. It will help them enhance their capabilities and grow as strong individuals.

If you’re looking for some external help, there’s nothing better than reading literature that can help you. A Notebook of Love written by Luis Trivino is a motivation manual for other people to grow as strong individuals. Luis is a former US Army war veteran who suffered several mental health challenges but fought them effectively and bravely. The book focuses on dealing with mental health problems and embracing them to resolve the issue.

If you want to learn more, it’s best to purchase this book from Amazon. You can buy other books from the author to find effective strategies.