Surviving John

Borderline personality disorder and bipolar are often mistaken as being the same. They are also frequently misdiagnosed, one for the other. The reason is because the symptoms for both illnesses are startlingly similar.

Bipolar is more well known than borderline personality disorder. While bipolar accounts for half of hospitalizations for psychological illness every year, borderline personality disorder only accounts for twenty percent. Bipolar is equally common amongst all sexes and age groups, while borderline personality disorder is most common in younger ladies.

Mood swings that involve depression, anxiety, or violent outbursts are both manifested by bipolar and borderline personality disorder patients. However, while bipolar patients typically cycle through these moods over a period of weeks or months, borderline personality disorder patients may have bursts of these moods lasting only a few hours or a day.

Borderline personality disorder patients also bear times of having no idea who they are re personality, likes, dislikes, and preferences. They may change long-term goals often, and have trouble keeping to any one activity. They also act recklessly, and are often known to eat excessively, engage in dangerous sexual relations, and go on shopping sprees. Bipolar patients suffer these evidence of mania, as well.

Times of worthlessness, emptiness, and misunderstood and mistreated feelings are also experienced by borderline personality disorder patients. These symptoms coincide with signs of depression in bipolar patients.

How they deal with relations is another sign of borderline personality disorder. Relationships are frequently viewed in extremes. The patient either hates or loves with a fervour. A patient might be completely in love one minute, then hate someone absolutely thanks to a tiny conflict or situation. Also, the patient has fears of desertion which lead to suicide threats, depression, and rejection. These relationship issues can also be found in bipolar patients.

Bipolar and borderline personality disorders also have similar treatments. Psychiatrists regularly favor a mixture of medicine and care. Cognitive behavior therapy, while successfully implemented with bipolar patients, was originally developed for use with borderline personality disorder. Successful results are also enjoyed when various medications are prescribed for any of these psychological sicknesses.

Little is commonly known about the reasons for borderline personality disorder, much like bipolar disorder. In this area, there’s rumpus about environment versus genetics. Research has demonstrated, however, that borderline personality disorder is often a result of situational and environmental stimuli, while bipolar is biological and hereditary in nature.

As you can see, many similarities exist between bipolar and borderline personality disorder. Even psychologists and doctors have difficulty in distinguishing one from the other. If you suffer any of the symptoms discussed here, it is vital to obtain the assistance and diagnosis of an approved professional for suitable diagnosis and treatment of your symptoms. Do not attempt to self diagnose for evidence of borderline personality disorder or bipolar without the aid of an expert. Doing so may make treatment less successful in the future as your symptoms become worse.