Bipolar vs BPD

Bipolar vs BPD is something that should be discussed more often. First of all, there is a confusion that bipolar disorder and BPD are the same thing. Bipolar disorder is BD and borderline personality disorder is BPD. These are both mental health illnesses that include drastic mood changes. However, BD is a mood disorder and BPD is a type of personality disorder.

When comparing bipolar vs BPD, you will notice there are some symptoms they share. However, it is important that people who are displaying symptoms of either of these disorders, reach out for professional help. Getting the proper diagnosis can be the key to a better recovery. It can affect the mental health disorder treatments that are given, as well.

Bipolar vs BPD: What Are Some Shared and Isolated Symptoms

As just noted above, when comparing bipolar vs BPD, you will find there are some shared symptoms. These symptoms may form in different patterns, last a different length of time and have different triggers. There are some symptoms that are isolated to just one or the other disorder, too. Find out more about these symptoms from our Sylvia Brafman team today.

Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms

If you are looking into bipolar vs, BPD, you should look at the symptoms of each disorder. Some of the symptoms of borderline personality disorder include:

• Drastic emotional changes (usually last a few hours to a couple of days)
• Acting out impulsively 
• Taking part in unsafe behaviors
• Aggression (usually uncontrolled)
• Feelings of low self-worth or emptiness
• Thinking about self-harm
• Depression (chronic)
• Fearing abandonment
• Distorted self-image
• Shorter mood instability cycles than with BD
• Unstable, intense relationships 
• Stress often triggers emotional change or unstable episodes

If you recognize any of these symptoms in yourself or someone you care about, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team for mental health treatment for borderline personality disorder right away. 

Symptoms Related to Bipolar Disorder

Just like with borderline personality disorder, you are going to find there are certain symptoms that are related to bipolar disorder, too. Some of these symptoms might overlap with BPD. The symptoms that you or your loved one might display if you have bipolar disorder include:

• Drastic mood changes (severe lows and highs that last many weeks to many months)
• Elevated self-esteem and mood (during the mania episodes)
• Depressed or flat mood (during the depressive episodes)
• Fluctuating energy, sleep need, and weight
• Impaired judgment, excessive talking, impulsivity, and racing thoughts
• Memory issues, impaired cognition, and slow speech
• Combative/threatening
• Potential suicidal tendencies (usually under the depressive episodes)
• Often caused by genetics

If you or a loved one are displaying symptoms of BD or bipolar disorder, it is time to get the treatment you need, so you can finally take control back in your life. 

Primary Causes for Bipolar and BPD

There are many different causes for bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. Learning about these causes can help you to better understand the disorder that you have. 

Causes of Borderline Personality Disorder

Research has been done to show the causes of various mental health illnessess. Unfortunately, there usually isn’t an exact cause of borderline personality disorder. However, studies have shown that it could be caused by environmental factors (especially ones that occurred during the early childhood years). 

Some of the other causes that may bring about borderline personality disorder include:

• Sexual, physical, and/or emotional abuse
• Parental neglect
• Parental substance abuse
• Stress and/or trauma during childhood 
• Lack of coping skills
• Chemical imbalances
• Genetics
• Brain structure issues
• Serotonin levels are off

If you or someone you know think you may have borderline personality disorder, our team of professionals can help to treat it. All you have to do is contact us today to get started in an outpatient or inpatient rehab treatment program. 

Causes of Bipolar Disorder

When taking a look at bipolar vs BPD, you should also know the causes of bipolar disorder. These causes can be quite complex. Professionals mostly agree that there isn’t just one thing that can cause BD. However, there are factors that can contribute to it such as:

• Genetics
• People with a family history of bipolar and/or other mental health illnesses
• Chemical imbalances (mostly with neurotransmitters)

No matter what causes bipolar disorder, everyone should be able to get the treatment they need. Here at Sylvia Brafman, you can do that. If your loved one is the person who has this disorder, make sure to share our treatment information with them, as well. 

Diagnosing Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorders

There is something known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5th Edition or DSM-5. Psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health professionals use this manual to diagnose a variety of mental health disorders. Some of the factors that are looked at to diagnose bipolar vs BPD include the following:

• Duration 
• Family history
• Relationship conditions
• Sleep
• Self-harm
• Depressive episode lengths

It is important to note that BPD and BD can occur at the same time. In fact, research shows that around 15% of those who have bipolar disorder have borderline personality disorder, as well. 

Treating BD and BPD

If you or a loved one have BD or BPD, you can come to Sylvia Brafman to get individualized treatment to manage your symptoms, improve your lifestyle and help with your personal needs. 

Some of the treatments that you might receive for borderline personality disorder include:

• Psychotherapy
• Dialectical-behavioral therapy
• Mentalization-based therapy 
• Possible medications to manage symptoms such as depression or mood swings
• Lifestyle adjustments
• Practicing self-care 

When you enroll in a treatment program here at our facility, we will work with you to create a treatment plan that includes options we believe would be best in your case. 

Some of the treatments that might be offered for bipolar disorder include:

• Psychotherapy 
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy
• Psychoeducation
• Family-focused therapy
• Interpersonal therapy
• Medications (usually second-generation antipsychotics and mood stabilizers

It is important to realize that both these conditions are lifelong. That is why our team encourages our clients to get lifelong treatment. If you do this, you will have a much better chance of staying in recovery and keeping your life on track. 

Get Help to Treat Bipolar Disorder and/or Borderline Personality Disorder

Now that you know more about the symptoms and causes of bipolar vs BPD, you can start looking for them in yourself or a loved one. If you do notice these symptoms that were noted above, don’t hesitate to have yourself or your loved one reach out to our Sylvia Brafman team right away.

Contact us to get help in treating bipolar disorder and/or borderline personality disorder today.