Booked-out education sessions on borderline personality disorder have highlighted a need in the community for more awareness and information.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Centacare Ballarat has invited clinical therapist and Bouverie Centre academic Peter McKenzie to lead two free sessions, one for carers and one for professionals, as part of next week’s national BPD awareness week.
The mental illness is characterised by difficulties in managing emotions, moods, impulses and relationships, and carries the risk of self-harm and suicide.
Centacare family and community services manager Jacinta Cook said while often misdiagnosed or unrecognised, most people would come in contact with the disorder in their lifetime.
Echoing the theme for the week “from stigma to strength”, Ms Cook emphasised education and awareness were crucial parts in breaking down the stigma attached to BPD and providing much-needed support.
“BPD is often not found because it can sometimes be hidden behind depression, alcohol-use, drug-use or anxiety,” she said.
“We wanted to make it more recognised that it is a very serious illness and it is diagnosable and treatable.”
Ms Cook said sufferers often were afraid of the stigma once the disorder was named, but diagnosis should provide a message of hope.
“By having it diagnosed, we wouldn’t like to think we are labelling people. We would like to think we are giving them the strength, the skills and the know-how on managing it and moving forward,” she said.
While spots may no longer be available for the sessions, Ms Cook said demand meant it was likely there would be more available in the future.
“We will be interested in what else people would like to see, whether they are carers or professionals,” she said.
“We want to be able to deliver some more training and tap into what resources we have locally – this may come to the fore in the professional training with who comes along, what they are doing and how we can develop a network between us all.”