If you are in crisis, please visit our Crisis Lines page or call 911 immediately.
The Ottawa Network for Borderline Personality Disorder (ON-BPD) supports individuals who have loved ones living with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) or chronic emotion dysregulation. We offer education, connection, and community for families and caregivers in the Ottawa area.
If you're struggling to support someone close to you who lives with intense emotional challenges, you're not alone — and we're here to help.
What We Offer
Our main goals are to:
- Educate and support relatives of individuals with BPD or chronic emotion dysregulation
- Help family members build skills for coping and communication
Family Connections™
Our core offering is the Family Connections™ program — an evidence-based, skills-focused course designed to help family members:
- Understand BPD and emotion dysregulation
- Learn coping strategies
- Improve communication and relationships
Supportive Connections
Graduates of Family Connections are invited to join Supportive Connections — a monthly, peer-led group that provides continued community, reflection, and support.
What is BPD?
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a serious mental health condition that affects a person’s ability to regulate emotions, thoughts, and behavior — particularly in relationships.
BPD typically begins in adolescence or early adulthood and can deeply impact the person experiencing it, as well as their loved ones.
Key characteristics may include:
- Intense emotional responses and mood swings
- Difficulty managing stress and self-soothing
- Impulsive or risky behaviour
- Unstable relationships
- Negative self-image
Many people with BPD also experience:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Substance use
- Eating disorders or other personality disorders
Some experts now use the term “Emotion Dysregulation” to describe the ongoing difficulties people with BPD may face in managing their emotional responses.
Learn more at the National Education Alliance for BPD.
You Are Not Alone
ON-BPD exists to walk alongside you. If you're ready to learn more or join our programs, get in touch or register for the Family Connections program.
Every person has a personality: longstanding ways of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and oneself. However, when these traits are inflexible, maladaptive, or cause significant functional impairment or subjective distress, they constitute a personality disorder.