Borderline Personality Disorder Treatment And Guidelines

There is a common misperception that there is no Borderline Personality Disorder Treatment and that this is a condition with no cure. However the fact is that in the last 20 years or so, many treatments and medications have been developed that can so significantly help sufferers and their symptom, that they can in fact be considered recovered or cured.

The families of those who have Borderline Personality Disorder can help the situation very significantly, by reading and following the Borderline Personality Disorder Treatment Guidelines which are as follows-

Go Slow and Lower Expectations

When a person with the disorder is undergoing any treatment for this, it is important not to give reassurances of great progress or offer excessive encouragement.

It is a rather a paradox, but rather natural when you think about it – that progress may trigger a relapse. Just as the person was beginning to improve and respond to borderline personality disorder treatment becoming less self destructive, more responsible and independent they seem to regress.

This happens because of a fear of abandonment that springs from the belief that the support one was receiving may disappear if a person got better.

Keep your expectations low and realistic in respect of any borderline personality disorder treatment that a person may be receiving. Work on one thing at a time and don’t set your sights too high or seek to achieve big goals quickly. Failure to achieve set goals could well demoralize and dent the self confidence of the person, since it can put too much pressure on them. Break down goals and take them one step at a time.

Keep the family environment Cool and toned down

A person undergoing borderline personality disorder treatment is still handicapped in his capacity to tolerate stress, so it is best that rejection, criticism and disagreements at home are kept to the minimum. It is important to remember that those who have BPD are struggling to cope each day and are, in general seen to have three handicaps –

  • Affect dyscontrol – wildly fluctuating emotions of great dread, rage and hostility are constantly being experienced and a person with BPD is unable to self soothe.  Part of this treatment is to help the person regain control.
  • Intolerance of aloneness is another BPD characteristic and the person may feel desperate at the prospect of a family member, therapist, and friend leaving even for a short duration.
  • A person with BPD is able to think only in terms of black & white – if a person is good to them, they are a wonderful savior, and if someone does something perceived as wrong, they are instantly slotted as evil and uncaring. There are no in-betweens, which is another problem that borderline personality disorder treatment seeks to redress.

Maintain family routines

Remember to have a good time as a family too. Meet people, go out, attend parties, be natural as far as possible.

Talk

Chat about light or neutral matters and assign time for this.