Differences with Bipolar +Borderline personality Disorder

These two severe mental illnesses have very similar symptons at first look, and can be hard to define between them.  

This can provide confusion at diagnosis and maybe effect recovery time.  A  chunk of people, even those with bipolar can be snobby about BPD, or the thought they may be disgnoses with BPD. 

This is down to ignorance on what this illness is really about. I get tired explaining and re-explaining it on mental health messege boards. 

Don’t slag off something or undervalue it because you know bugger all about it! Ignorance is not an excuse!! Lol ok

Bear in mind someone with either Illness is more likely to also have the other one!!! So symptons could be getting all mixed up anyway.

( these aren’t in every case of BP+BPD)

BPD and BP similarities 

1. Same medical treatment. An antidepressant, mood stabiliser and anti psychotic can be used in both. Along with sedatives and sleepers. (Addictive addictive!!)
2. Dramatic mood swings
3. Extreme mania- pschosis, inpulsivity, sexual recklessness, reckless behaviour. 
4. Paranoia, paranoid delusions. Hallucinations. Strange ideas and behaviour. Rage, anxiety, panic etc
5. Severe depression, suicidal thoughts, suicide. 
6. Self harm
7. Self medicating /addictions
8. Unstable sense of identity/self 
9. Long periods of time in either mood extreme 

Differences

1. Mood swings with BPD can also be caused by enotions and will be a lot faster swings than BP.
2. BPD is nurture and nature pretty much in all cases, so a good therapy when stable can help in some areas too. 
3. BPd has parts brain  that controls emotions and reactions and memories working wonky ( see nature/nature) blog 
4. Hugely emotion led, out of control emotions with little or no regulation.  Inpulsivity and reckless behaviour is usually a reaction to emotional impulses and not a consious thought…. Leading to poor memory and danger. 
5. Malignant behaviour ( without meaning too) on the quest to feel better emotionally. Can lead to very little regard for others; manipulation, playing games etc to get the emotion we are compelled to get. 
6. Emptiness inside and unstable self image. Who am I??? Result of being a chameleon as defense for so many years. 
7. Fear abondonment, lonliness, will either try everything to prevent it, or cut people out. 
8. Super shit at relationships. Either choose and linger with harmful people or self sabotage any 

 Also – inpulsivity/behaviours /swings tend to occur all time in BPD as its part of our normal self. Sometimes with BP they may get a period of “normality” but for BPD all those things are our normality. 

Both illnesses can crossover as can personality traits, it’s the amount of signs that usually defines diagnosis. 

One of the clearest meant to be mood length. 

This is confused as severe depression can be co morbid with BPD so you can stay in that mood for a long long time ( my record was 6 months)

Which further confuses the issue of its BP or BPD or both!!

At the end of a day, a diagnosis in either one is fine as long as your symotons are being dealt with. 

BPD may tend to have more malignant behavioural issues which have been learnt, that’s why talking therapy ( not listening based counselling ) is another important factor for recovery once you are stable enough. 

Will go through more physiological stuff on another post x