Topic Tuesday // BPD Awareness Week 2021 – Discover Creative Wellbeing // Tues 5th October, 7pm-8:30pm AEDT

@BlueBay, do you have another preference? What do you think about Emotionally Dysregulated Disorder?

Hi @Millieme, you're right there is such a big gap in terms of accessibility, and in terms of creative therapy options, that can really mean anything that works for you! This BPD Awareness week, we are being asked to think of creative therapies outside of traditional/convention therapies to support the wellbeing of those living with BPD. Some creative ideas include art therapy, pets and body based activities like yoga.

Mis-diagnosis is something we hear so often from members of the forums @BPDSurvivor, especially misdiagnosis of BPD as Bipolar. I'm sad to hear how long you were on medication for the wrong diagnosis, I can't believe to imagine how hard that must have been for you!

Hello KirstyNEABPD ...

@cloudcore @BlueBay @Daisydreamer @Jacques @BPDSurvivor

I have a family member with a serious mental illness that has been given several diagnoses.

All being those not readily spoken about; understood;;definitedly misunderstood and stigmatised..

I see the same categorising with BPD and I openly admit that I only know information that I have read up on. My nephew's ex-wife has BPD... She is such a beautiful person; I instantly connected with her..

My main point is that within the medical facilities....reception areas....nurses...doctors...any staff having contact with people with any mental illness let alone the more serious ones need far more training and ongoing training most importantly around how to treat all of us as human beings with feelings..

We are not just labels...

We might have unwell minds but we still hurt..

So when you stare at us in disbelief.....talk about us to someone else in front of us...are rude to us....we hurt...

This is mental health month ...

Get the message out to the nation...

Mental health is not going away and is ever increasing with COVID..

Education for all health facilities around respect...inclusion...acceptance and far more..

It is not my intention to detract from the BPD discussion.

More emphasise BPD sufferers are human beings and have needs to as do all with mental health issues as do all human beings...

Question 2.

I completely agree with what @BPDSurvivor said, so many creative options listed there.

I received some grant money to fund an event for BPD Awareness Week with our current Family Connections participants, and a Lived Experience Group in SA Health and we have hired a South Australian cartoonist and illustrator (Simon Kneebone), I asked him what he thought about this question (being much more in the creative realm than I!). Simon said that the best thing to do would be to provide materials, and opportunities for people to do things with little direction. Anything can be material, I think as long as we are coming at it from the heart with no preconceived ideas and leave our judgements at the door…anything can be considered creative therapy. This is true for any type of evidenced based therapy, be aware of judgements about ourselves, the therapist, the therapy, and the process and go in with an open heart. Of course, that doesn’t mean there can’t be discernment, this is without any emotion attached and very important in this space as well. Go with your Wise Mind.

Yeah that sounds better @KirstyNEABPD

i just don't like the words borderline snd personality

I think there is an over-reliance on telling people without support to be their own support, provide their own therapy and just be better. it takes away from the need to provide support, the entire responsibility is placed back on people with mental health issues, i.e. be a sqeuaky wheel

@BlueBay , yes yoga and walking could be a form of therapy for some! Would those methods work for you?

Yes at times those activities calm me down. Even colouring in calms me @cloudcore

So insightful @Sophia1 . I agree. I mostly work with nurses who have little time allocated to them to be able to attend training, therefore I believe it is also up to the service as a whole to either bring in more training and education to all staff (clinicians and all support staff) AND/OR encourage them to go to training more often. I see that it's not supported so much. Still, not an excuse for being people rude and invalidating, often responding personally to a situation, not as a professional.