People who suffer from anxiety, experience excessive fear and worrying most of the time. This affects a number of different aspects of their lives, including work, school, and relationships. The person has extreme difficulty controlling and managing their preoccupation, and often experience the following symptoms:

• Agitation, feeling overexcited, or feeling at the end of your rope
• Fatigability
• Trouble concentrating or gaps in memory
• Irritability
• Muscle tension
• Disturbed sleep

DO's

• Know the signs of an anxiety attack.
• Ask ahead of time what helps if an anxiety attack strikes.
• Be there; let the person know that they can talk to you about it openly, without any fear of judgment.
• Remember that they are doing the best they can.
• Be proud of them when they improve. Be realistic.
• Make sure to work on your own stress and anxiety management.

DON'Ts

• Don’t assume that they are anxious about something specific.
• Don’t say:get over it.. Remember, anxiety disorders are not just thought related - they're chemical as well.
• Don’t bring up the subject; let them bring up their anxiety to you.
• Don’t let anxiety affect you as well.
• Don’t expect massive, immediate turnarounds.

Depression is a common but serious mood disorder. It causes severe symptoms that affect how you feel, think, and handle daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, or working. To be diagnosed with depression, the symptoms must be present for at least two weeks. If your loved one has been experiencing some of the following signs and symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks, they may be suffering from depression:

• Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood
• Feelings of hopelessness, or pessimism
• Irritability
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
• Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities
• Decreased energy or fatigue
• Moving or talking more slowly
• Feeling restless or having trouble sitting still
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
• Difficulty sleeping, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
• Appetite and/or weight changes
• Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts
• Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems without a clear physical cause and/or that do not ease even with treatment

DO's

• Express empathy, encouragement, and support.
• Know your role and have realistic expectations for yourself within it.
• Realize this is something they can't snap out of.
• Give them space to heal; it’s common that a person who is depressed will isolate themselves.
• Let your loved ones know that you are there for them when they need a shoulder to cry on, even if they don’t ever take you up on your offer.

DON'Ts

• Don’t say things like : «Be strong,», «Don’t cry,», «Focus on the positives!», «Be grateful for what you have» or «Get over it».
• Don’t be afraid to ask if they're suicidal.
• Don’t minimize what they're going through.
• Don’t discredit what they’re feeling and don't tell them you know exactly how they feel.
• Don’t give up on them (without talking to them about it first).
• Don’t neglect yourself in the process.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is made up of two parts: obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are unwanted and repetitive thoughts, urges, or images that don’t go away and cause anxiety. Compulsions are actions that are performed to reduce the anxiety caused by the obsessions.

DO's

• Set limits/boundaries: set rules, limits and boundaries and stay consistent.
• Learn as much as possible on the illness and educate yourself and your family about all aspects of the illness.
• Remember to get support; join a support group, or talk to someone you thrust.
• Encourage your loved one to tackle fearful situations.
• Recognize and acknowledge the seemingly small improvements; they are a powerful motivator.

DON'Ts

• Avoiding being involved in the person's compulsive behavior.
• Not reassuring the person to let them know things will get better.
• Don't downplay the trouble; don't say things like "I am a bit OCD too" or "I feel so OCD today".
• Don't perform daily comparisons; focus on global changes since the beginning of treatment.

According to the DSM-IV, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a general pattern of instability of mood, interpersonal problems, and the image of themselves. It appears in the beginning of adulthood.

It is present in a variety of contexts as indicated by at least 5 of the following :

• Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment.
• A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation
• Identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self
• Impulsivity that is potentially self-damaging
• Recurrent suicidal behaviour, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behaviour
• Affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood
• Chronic feelings of emptiness
• Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger
• Transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms

DO's

• Respect yourself, set limits and protect your comfort zone.
  Seek help, reach out for support and build a network of resources.
• Taking care of yourself is the foundation on which lasting change is built.
• Lovingly hold your loved one accountable for his or her behavior.
• Remember that your loved one does not have the capacity to manage his or her emotions well.

DON'Ts

• Don’t judge their feelings, they are true and real for them
• Don’t get caught in the chaos
• Don’t reinforce or normalize impulsive or dangerous behaviour
• Don’t blame yourself for their explosive behavior
• Don’t tell your loved one about your plans at the last minute, as they will likely feel abandoned

Suicide is the act of intentionally taking one’s life. Studies have shown that over 90% of people who die from suicide have one or more psychiatric disorders at the time of their death. Comorbidity (having more than one illness at the same time) and how severe the disorders are can increase someone's risk for suicide. People who are thinking of committing suicide usually show warning signals that can alert family and friends to their distress and their plans. Here are some examples of these signals. It’s important to pay attention to them.

• Direct messages:«I want to end it all.», «I’m going to kill myself.»
• Indirect messages:«You’d be better off without me.», «I’m useless.», «My life is a failure.», «I’d be better off dead.», «Life is no longer worth living.»

DO's

• Be yourself.
• Let the person know you love them, care and that they are not alone.
• Listen and let the person unload despair, ventilate anger.
• Be there, be sympathetic, non-judgmental, patient, calm and accepting.
• Offer hope; reassure the person that help is available and that the suicidal feelings are temporary

DON'Ts

• Don’t deny the person’s feelings or argue with the person.
• Don’t act shocked, lecture on the value of life, or say that suicide is wrong.
• Don’t act shocked, lecture on the value of life, or say that suicide is wrong.
• Don’t offer ways to fix their problems.
• Don’t give advice or make them feel like they have to justify their suicidal feelings.
• Don’t promise confidentiality or to be sworn to secrecy.
• Don’t blame yourself for your loved one’s lack of happiness, it is not your responsibility