Bpd Symptoms Vs Bipolar Disorder Symptoms
Although theres some overlap between the two conditions, there are a few differences.
The main differences between BPD and bipolar disorder symptoms are:
The timing of impulsive behaviors
If you have bipolar disorder, your impulsivity tends to happen during periods of mania or hypomania. But if you have BPD, impulsive urges may arise without other symptoms of mania. Impulsive urges may arise anytime or may occur in response to stressors that happen randomly.
Sleep
During periods of mania, people with bipolar disorder feel more energized and need less sleep. You might feel energized after just a few hours of sleep each night. BPD doesnt involve mania, so youre less likely to notice this.
Mood cycle time
People with BPD have short-lived moods that change within a few hours or days. People with bipolar disorder tend to have mood cycles that last for weeks or months, unless they have rapid-cycling bipolar disorder, in which case the mood cycle will be much shorter.
Relationships
BPD is characterized by a deep fear of abandonment, which can put immense strain on relationships. People with BPD often struggle to have stable relationships as they fluctuate between extreme like and dislike for people. While people with bipolar disorder might struggle with interpersonal relationships, the fear of abandonment isnt often present.
Triggers
Self-esteem
- abnormal brain structures
- serotonin levels
Mood Disorders Vs Personality Disorders
Bipolar Disorder is a mood disorder.
Borderline Personality Disorder is a personality disorder.
Both of which are mental health conditions.
1. Mood Disorders
Severe changes in someones emotional state that impede their ability to function properly.
Start at any age and may run in families.
A recent study suggests that nearly 10% of adults living in the United States suffer from some form of Mood Disorder.
Some symptoms include:
- Irritability
2. Personality Disorders
Persistent emotions, behaviors and thoughts that are not in line with societal norms and ultimately cause suffering.
The majority of sufferers develop symptoms of BPD by their early adulthood.
A recent study suggests over 12% of adults living in the United States suffer from some form of Personality Disorder.
Some symptoms include:
- Depression
Controversy Over Diagnosing Bpd
During my early training, I was told that we should not diagnose a personality disorder without having conducted a longitudinal assessment. There was resistance to label people as personality disordered because it was believed that:
- The label was pejorative
- Personality disorders dont get better
- There was no effective treatment
However, the evidence suggests the opposite is true.
BPD gets better with age and there is a range of therapy with a good evidence base. If there is still stigma, it lies with us as professionals. Patients generally welcome knowing why they feel as they do, and will often have researched their diagnosis on the internet prior to coming to see us.
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Borderpolar: Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder
Impact Of Borderline Personality Disorder On Bipolar
The trouble is when people are diagnosed both with bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder their courses of illness tends to be worse. People with both diagnoses tend to have a history of substance abuse and have had childhood symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Moreover, this dual-diagnosis group is at a higher risk of suicide.
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Treatment Options For Borderline Personality Disorder Vs Bipolar Disorder
Finding the right, effective treatment plan for borderline personality vs bipolar disorder often takes both patience and time.
For BPD, medication isnt the go-to treatment. Unfortunately, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve any drugs to treat borderline personality disorder and the benefits of trialed medications are largely unclear. However, there are a number of options to help manage some of the symptoms those with BPD might be experiencing.
For bipolar disorder, typically a combination of lifestyle recommendations, medications, and therapy from a licensed mental health provider is a suggested form of treatment.
Is Your Personality Keeping You From Finding Love
Another factor that can be useful in separating these diagnoses involves onset. The average age of bipolar onset is 18 years of age, which means that children can show signs of the disorder early in life, and perhaps may have expressed prodromal symptoms prior to a complete constellation of symptoms that meet DSM-5 criteria in adult life. There is no average age of borderline onset per se in fact, the longstanding nature of this disorder of character means that a diagnosis requires active and persistent symptoms well into adult life. Certainly, some adolescents can demonstrate borderline traits that may eventually coalesce into a borderline diagnosis, but this is not in itself a reliable predictor for the diagnosis in later life. Mood instability in bipolar disorder, however, can often be traced to childhood, especially if noticeably triggered by adolescent hormonal changes and does not stabilize into early adulthood.
Doctors may also consider atypical antipsychotic medication if there is no clear differentiation of borderline and bipolar symptoms, especially if evidence of psychosis is suspected. While it may be true that the pharmacological treatment of borderline personality is generally more complicated than that of bipolar disorder, a clearer diagnostic picture can assist physicians in opening a wider array of treatment options for these disorders, whether they may be distinct or co-occurring.
References
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Diagnosing Borderline Personality Disorder
To diagnose borderline personality disorder, mental health professionals conduct comprehensive clinical interviews with their patients. They may also consult with other clinicians and review prior medical evaluations.
Clinical interviews likely use structured diagnostic screening tools, such as the Zanarini Rating Scale for Borderline Personality Disorder. This rating scale examines the pervasiveness of the following:
- Unstable relationships
The rating scale also measures the following symptoms:
- Anger levels
- Fear levels of abandonment
- Self-image
Additionally, the tool looks for relationship histories characterized by splitting. Its important to note that splitting along with the rapid shift in moods from sad, to angry, to euphoric within short time spans are symptoms that distinguish borderline personality disorder from bipolar disorder.
The Disorder That Makes People Seem Out Of Order
BPD can make life feel almost unbearable. Its a mirage illness, Marlborough writes in VICE. You feel like someone without fingerprints. You have no identity. You move between things constantly, people and passions. Onlookers can be tricked into seeing you as boldly transformative. In reality, you are someone without a sense of self.
The young woman with BPD told Elite Daily, Long story short, its very hard for those with BPD to have successful and healthy relationships and stable confidence levels. Our version of logical thinking is most often overthinking. We have a very hard time distinguishing between real issues or imaginary issues. BPD is considered to be one of the most serious mental illnesses, as it causes a great deal of suffering and has a high-risk for suicide.
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Understanding The Differences Improves Diagnosis And Treatment
Posted May 28, 2020
The essential problem in assessing bipolar disorder with other mental disorders is the lack of a clear roadmap for an accurate differential diagnosis. As I have written before, nearly two-thirds of people with bipolar have been misdiagnosed at least one time in their lives and will have consulted an average of nearly four professionals before receiving the proper bipolar diagnosis. What is perhaps most disturbing is the length of time it takes for an individual to receive a bipolar diagnosis and appropriate treatment. The average time from when a person experiences the first bipolar mood episode to receiving treatment specifically for bipolar disorder is about 10 years. This gap in treatment is the result of a profound misunderstanding of what bipolar is, how it presents itself in episodes that can come and go, and a general reticence to discuss having a chronic mental illness, especially when symptoms are present in a young person.
While most people with bipolar disorder are diagnosed with non-bipolar major depression, many are inaccurately diagnosed with a personality disorder. It is true that someone with bipolar disorder can also have a co-occurring personality disorder, but these classifications can often be confused for each other and create treatment complications as a result.
What Are The Common Symptoms Of Bpd And Bipolar Disorder
Both bipolar disorder and Borderline Personality disorders involve extreme mood swings that may not be relevant to the ongoing events. The similarities of symptoms can lead to misdiagnosis. Family history is a common element between bipolar disorder vs borderline personality disorder. Information about the same can help mental health professionals diagnose the condition.
Misdiagnosis of BPD as bipolar disorder is Type 2 is not rare. Overlapping of common symptoms is a significant cause of such misdiagnosis. There are several similarities of symptoms as follows:
Dramatic mood swings are common characteristics of bipolar disorder vs borderline personality disorder. These may lead to confusion and misdiagnosis. AlthoughBorderline Personality Disorder Vs Bipolar share some symptoms like extreme emotions and impulsive actions, bipolar disorder is also associated with chaotic relationships, a feature absent in BPD.
One has to look at all symptoms and the whole pattern of issues to avoid confusion between Borderline Personality Disorder Vs Bipolardisorder. Borderline Personality Disorder satisfies the criteria of several other mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder. Biological, social, and psychological pathways may result in overlapping symptoms between Borderline Personality Disorder Vs Bipolar disorder. Visit unitedwecare.com to know more details on the same.
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Recognizing Red Flags Of Bpd
If you think that someone you love might have borderline personality disorder, and they are expressing suicidal thoughts and feelings, this should not be taken lightly. Seek professional help immediately. If your friend or loved one is exhibiting any suicidal warning signs, contact a mental health professional, or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK . Or , or take them to the nearest emergency room. If the person is acting and not willing to accept treatment, call the police, your local hospital emergency department or 911 if you feel that they are in danger. Also take precautions to consider your own personal safety. It is important not to put yourself in harms way, experts say.
Bipolar Vs Borderline Personality Disorder: The Differences
Although bipolar disorder and BPD share some similarities, there are some fundamental differences that separate the two. For example, bipolar disorder is a mental disorder, while BPD is an emotional disorder. Both disorders are characterized by mood swings, but the length and intensity of these mood swings are different. While a person with bipolar disorder typically endures the same mood for days or weeks at a time, a person with BPD may experience intense bouts of anger, depression, and anxiety that may last only hours, or at most a day. Bipolar mood shifts are distinguished by manic episodes of elation, but borderline personality disorder mood shifts rarely involve feelings of elation. The causes for these mood shifts also vary. BPD mood shifts are usually a reaction to an environmental stressor , while bipolar mood shifts seem to occur out of nowhere. Both disorders are difficult to live with, but the unpredictability of bipolar disorder can be particularly stressful.
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How Is Borderline Personality Disorder Diagnosed
When you speak to a doctor or mental health professional about your mental health symptoms, they may use a diagnostic tool called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders which is currently in its fifth edition and also called the DSM-5. According to the , there is a list of nine common symptoms of BPD. If you experience five of them, you may be diagnosed with the disorder. Here are the nine common symptoms:
- Chronic feelings of emptiness
- Unstable emotions including sadness, irritability, and anxiety
- Fear and avoidance of abandonment, whether real or imagined
- Unstable self-image or a skewed sense of self
- Impulsivity causing risky or reckless behaviors
- Inappropriate and intense bursts of anger
- Unstable or contentious personal relationships
- Suicidal threats, behavior, or self-harm
- Paranoia or dissociative episodes
Can You Have Borderline Personality Disorder And Bipolar Disorder At The Same Time
It is possible to have borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder at the same time. About 20% of people who have bipolar disorder will also have borderline personality disorder and vice versa. People who have both of these disorders usually have more extreme symptoms like depression and suicidal ideation and are more likely to be hospitalized.
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Is It Bipolar Disorder Or Borderline Personality Disorder
- Borderline Personality Disorder vs. Bipolar Disorder: How Can You Tell The Two Apart Did you know that there are many similarities between borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder ? There are so many similarities between the two disorders that there has been a controversy among psychiatrists for decades on how to distinguish between the two
- Definitions A bipolar disorder is characterized by changing maniacal and depressive modes. Bipolar disorder is sometimes referred to as a manic-depressive disorder due to the characteristic alternation between periods of turbulent activity which might be called mania, and periods of depressive state. Individuals suffering from bipolar disorder experience both manic and depressive stage.
- Borderline personality disorder, commonly known as BPD, is a mental disorder usually diagnosed in young or early adulthood and affecting between 1.6 and 5.9 percent of Americans, according to Psych Central.It is commonly misdiagnosed or missed altogether as some of the symptoms can mirror other disorders, and BPD often coexists with another disorder
Bpd And Other Personality Disorders
Many people with BPD also meet the criteria for a second personality disorder. Personality disorders that often co-occur with BPD include:
- Narcissistic personality disorder
- Antisocial personality disorder
- Histrionic personality disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder and BPD are all part of the Cluster B group of personality disorders. Overlapping traits include manipulative behaviors and impulsivity. Histrionics and borderlines both tend to engage in attention-seeking behavior and emotional displays that can quickly shift.
People who have both BPD and narcissistic personality disorder are typically very destructive when it comes to relationships. Extreme fear of rejection, intense emotional displays, lack of empathy for others, and manipulative behavior make interpersonal situations very difficult.
Schizotypal personality disorder traits that overlap with BPD include ideas of reference and paranoid ideation. Odd or eccentric behaviors and beliefs, and excessive social anxiety are characteristic of schizotypal individuals.
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Link Between Bpd And Dependent Personality Disorde
Diagnosis Of Borderline Personality Disorder Vs Bipolar Disorder
Before treatment is determined, the most important step is getting the correct diagnosis. Due to the overlapping characteristics of BPD and bipolar disorder, these disorders can be confused and a misdiagnosis could mean ineffective treatment and poor outcomes.7 Diagnosis should be sought through a healthcare provider, either a primary care physician or mental health specialist, such as a psychiatrist or a psychologist, prior to beginning any treatment.
There are several factors that can help determine whether BPD or Bipolar disorder should be diagnosed, including:3
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What Are The Symptoms Of Borderline Personality Disorder
According to the DSM-IV , a person suffers from borderline personality disorder when he/she exhibits at least five out of nine specific symptoms. These include:
- Fear of abandonment: This can be noticed through panic attacks or constant worry that your partner will leave you
- Intense and unstable relationships: People who suffer from this disorder tend to have very intense, quick-changing, and unstable personal relationships
- Extreme impulsivity in areas that are self-damaging
- Self-harming behaviors like cutting the skin with sharp objects etc.
- Suicidal risk-taking behavior
- Unstable moods like depression, anxiety, etc.
- Chronic feelings of emptiness
- Intense anger and finally,
- A pattern of intense and chaotic interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation.