1. Keep Calm When Dealing With the Child
As a parent, the best way to deal with a child with a personality disorder is to remain stable, realistic and calm. Your child is probably expressing huge emotions that may have no basis in reality, so the best strategy is to simply dismiss them as unrealistic. If you find yourself rising (or falling) to the occasion, and arguing with the same intensity and fervor as your child, you're merely stoking the fire. If your child is making absolutely no sense to you, it may be better to leave the room, saying, "We can discuss this further after you've settled down."
2. Don't Underestimate Your Child's Ability to Manipulate you
A borderline personality usually develops slowly over the years and doesn't truly emerge until your child is a teen or a young adult. That means your child has had years to develop these unrealistic perceptions, using a rather warped logic to make them appear logical and reasonable. In other words, he's had plenty of practice in successfully arguing with parents and loved ones through the sheer force of his emotions, as opposed to simply making sense. Always concentrate on what your child is saying, and not how he is saying it, and you will be able to avoid being manipulated by him.
3. Get Professional Help if Your Child Goes too far
A borderline personality disorder is marked by feelings of worthlessness, emptiness and even suicidal thoughts. While most of these emotions may exist to gain sympathy from loved ones, you do have to take your child seriously when self-destructive and risky behaviors emerge. For instance, teens with borderline personality disorders may engage in such dangerous behaviors as self-mutilation, sexual promiscuity, reckless driving, physical fighting and destruction of property. It's better to be a responsible parent and intervene by consulting with a mental health professional before these behaviors go too far.
