Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Communicating with Those Diagnosed Having BPD


Those who suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder can be difficult to deal with at times. They can tend to take the extreme meanings of simple conversation whether it be good or bad. To those with BPD, the middle "gray" area doesn't exist. It's either one way, or the other. Mood swings are also more severe to these individuals. With very little to set them off, the mood can transition from complete elation to suicidal thoughts and depression almost instantly. With someone so out of balance, how can communication be possible without triggering an episode?

1. Verbiage - As those suffering from BPD will take the extreme meaning of your conversation, try to keep it low-key. Try not to dwell on conversations that have potential to be saddening or upsetting.

2. Sarcasm - Sarcasm will nearly always be a method to set off the person suffering from BPD. Even if the sarcasm is of a jovial nature, it is best not to involve those kinds of discussions with someone with a personality disorder.

3. Violence - Be wary of the state of mind the person is who has BPD. A conversation could have potential to be explosive if he or she is already in a bad frame of mind. Even the most innocent of conversations could have potential for disaster.

4. Realism - Try to keep the conversation within reality. People afflicted with BPD have a tenancy to have delusions and unsubstantiated paranoia. You must keep the conversation within reality and focus on what is evidential.

5. Instant Gratification - Many of those suffering from BPD will have difficulty staying focused on a task or communication if there is no evidence of gratification. Try to steer communications to a point where gratification is possible and rewarded. It could even be a small reward for an easy to accomplish task.

It's hard to look upon those we love and realize that there is nothing we can do to help them. The best we can do is try not to make matters worse and being mindful of what we say. It can prove to be difficult at times, but keep in mind that they are suffering internally far worse than you're pride if the conversation takes a turn for the worse.

Author Bio:
Ken Myers is the founder & contributor for http://www.longhornleads.com/. He frequently researches and writes about a variety of topics like education, Technology, Health and many more.