"The groundwork of all happiness is health." - Leigh Hunt

Borderline personality disorder vs. bipolar disorder

Borderline personality and bipolar: These two disorders are sometimes confused. Both have symptoms of impulsivity and mood swings. However, these are different diseases and there are different treatment options.

Bipolar disorder, also called manic depression, causes fluctuations in mood, energy, and skill to operate throughout the day.

Symptoms: Bipolar disorder is defined by alternating periods of depression and mania that may last from days to months. Unlike borderline personality disorder, the mood swings of bipolar disorder are usually not triggered by interpersonal conflict, they last days to weeks or months moderately than minutes to hours, and the episodes are, by definition, accompanied by changes in sleep, energy, language, and pondering

During times of mania, the next symptoms may occur:

  • An overly blissful or indignant, irritable mood
  • More physical and mental energy and activity than normal
  • Racing thoughts and concepts
  • Talk more and faster
  • Make big plans
  • Willingness to take risks
  • Impulsivity (substance abuse, sex, spending, etc.)
  • Less sleep, but no feeling of tiredness
  • Poor judgment

Symptoms during depression may include:

  • Loss of energy
  • Persistent sadness
  • Less activity and energy
  • Restlessness and irritability
  • Concentration and decision-making problems
  • Worry and fear
  • No interest in favorite activities
  • feelings of guilt and hopelessness; Suicidal thoughts
  • Change in appetite or sleeping patterns

Treatment: Most individuals with bipolar disorder require lifelong treatment to maintain their condition under control. These normally include medications – normally mood stabilizers, but sometimes also antipsychotics or antidepressants. Therapy may also help individuals with bipolar disorder understand it and develop coping skills.

Borderline personality disorder is a long-standing pattern of abrupt, moment-to-moment fluctuations – in moods, relationships, self-image, and behavior (versus pronounced episodes of mania or depression in individuals with bipolar disorder), normally characterised by: are triggered: Conflicts in coping with other people. People with borderline personality disorder may experience overly strong emotional reactions to troubling life events and sometimes try to harm themselves. They often have chaotic relationships with people.

People with borderline personality disorder usually tend to suffer from other mental health problems. They are also more prone to have experienced trauma as a toddler than individuals with bipolar disorder, although trauma itself doesn't cause borderline personality disorder. They can often even have issues with addiction, eating disorders, body image, and anxiety.

Symptoms: An individual with borderline personality disorder has difficulty controlling their thoughts and emotions and sometimes exhibits impulsive and reckless behavior. Here are the essential symptoms of the disease:

  • Frantic efforts to avoid feeling abandoned
  • History of unstable, intense relationships
  • Tendency to view people and situations as either “all good” or “all bad.”
  • Poor self-image
  • Impulsivity (spending, sex, substance abuse, etc.)
  • Self-harm (e.g. cutting) or suicidal behavior
  • Mood swings with anger and depression, normally in response to stressful events or relationships
  • Feelings of emptiness
  • Problems coping with anger and unsightly emotions
  • paranoia

Treatment: Long-term treatment is generally required for individuals with borderline personality disorder. Treatment mainly involves specific types of psychotherapy, comparable to dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) or transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP), which aim to assist people cope with impulses (e.g. suicidal thoughts or self-harm tendencies) when upset are) and coping with feelings of stress or anger and emotional hypersensitivity to interactions with other people. Medications are also sometimes used to alleviate these symptoms, although they are usually not all the time effective and are usually not considered the essential focus of treatment for borderline personality disorder. Short hospital stays are sometimes essential to deal with times of crisis that pose a threat to safety and well-being.