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barb@bpdcommunity.com.au
0409 952 754

''Kindness in words creates confidence.

Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.

Kindness in giving creates love''

– Lao Tzu

Spring is here again. A time of renewal, of life, a time of hope. At BPD Community we wait for the first report of the Victorian Royal Commission into Mental Health due in Oct. We hope for a new system and a new approach that reaches out to those affected by BPD.

Don't forget to celebrate BPD Awareness Week with us at our Celebration Night, this is your invite, all welcome! (see below)

celebration time

validation and onions

'ah, someone is listening to me!' that's how it feels when we are validated. Learning how to validate is like peeling an onion: there are layers and layers to work through before you get to that sweet spot in the centre.

Our Family & Friend's Group is revisiting validation at the next meeting: 6.30pm, Tues 17 Sept at Star Health. All family & friends of someone with BPD are welcome. rsvp to barb@bpdcommunity.com.au

click on image opposite to view the animation

a paradigm shift

in thinking

It's time for a paradigm shift in Mental Health in Victoria. The system here fails people affected by BPD. A new approach is essential if anything is to change.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) requires a response specific to the needs of those with lived experience:

• A focus on addressing the stigma and discrimination specific to BPD;
• A focus on recovery;
• Active inclusion of families as people with lived experience;
• A response to meet the needs of all with BPD, not just the most severely affected in crisis. 

We argue for a different approach: a community approach to meet the needs of those with lived experience of BPD.

click image above to access the submission

sane forums

Online acceptance, connection, and support is available on the SANE Forums for both 'consumers' and 'carers' from our website. (click on pic opposite to access)

The Forums provide safe, anonymous mental health discussion, moderated 24/7 by mental health professionals.You can connect with a respectful and accepting community; read stories from people like you. You are encouraged to post your questions and respond to others. You can tell your story and

find trusted information from SANE Australia.

COPING WITH SELF HARM

'I don't know what to do, I feel helpless'

This a common cry when faced with someone who self harms. There is now a short simple booklet written in easy to understand language available for free from Orygen. 

There are lots of simple techniques that can be immediately applied, it is a booklet with answers. It is reassuring to know that, "Although some people who self-harm may be suicidal, self-harm is often used as a way of managing difficult emotions without being a suicide attempt". 

To download the booklet, click on the picture at the left which takes you to our website and access to the booklet.

carer

research

Peer to peer group support is where people help each other, non peer support is where a professional with no lived experience leads a group. BPD Community Family & Friend's Group is peer to peer support. It is considered by some that a peer to peer led group may be more effective support than one led by someone without lived experience. Louisa Chan who is a carer and an Honours students at Australian National University, Canberra, is doing research into this.

If you are Carer and want to help this research, you can access her survey here: https://anupsych.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e3bcPI2MvIEywrb

BPD Community

This email was intended for Belinda Scarlata: b.scarlata@alfred.org.au • Unsubscribe