Bipolar vs BPD: Exploring the Unique Characteristics

Bipolar vs bpd (borderline personality disorder DSM 5). Let’s explore the unique characteristics.

Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness that causes extreme shifts in mood, energy, and behavior. Therefore, these shifts can make it difficult to complete daily tasks.

All things considered, people with bipolar disorder experience mood episodes, which are periods of intense emotions that can last from days to weeks.

These episodes can be manic or hypomanic, when the mood is intensely happy or irritable, or depressive, when the mood is intensely sad or the ability to experience joy is gone.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental health condition in which a person has long-term patterns of unstable or explosive emotions. All in all, these inner experiences often result in impulsive actions, self-image issues, and chaotic relationships with other people.

There are different types of bipolar, bipolar 1 and 2.

At length, a person affected by bipolar I disorder has had at least one manic episode in their life. A manic episode is a period of abnormally elevated or irritable mood and high energy, accompanied by abnormal behavior that disrupts life.

Most people with bipolar I disorder also suffer from episodes of depression. Often, there is a pattern of cycling between mania and depression.

Bipolar vs bpd: let’s explore the unique characteristics.

The symptoms for Bipolar type 1 are:

Unusual behavior during manic episodes includes:

Firstly, flying suddenly from one idea to the next
Rapid, “pressured” (uninterruptible), and loud speech
Increased energy, with hyperactivity and a decreased need for sleep
Fourthly, inflated self-image
Excessive spending
Hypersexuality
Lastly, Substance abuse

By and large, people in manic episodes may spend money far beyond their means, have sex with people they wouldn’t otherwise, or pursue grandiose, unrealistic plans. In severe manic episodes, a person loses touch with reality. Therefore, they may become delusional and behave bizarrely.

Symptoms for Bipolar ll are:

Different from bipolar I, bipolar II disorder is a major psychiatric disorder that causes a person to experience episodes of depression and hypomania. This is less severe than manic episodes:

Hypomania. A milder form of mania that can include increased energy, rapid speech, and out-of-character behavior. Being that, hypomanic episodes are disruptive to daily life, but not as much as mania.
Depression. Hence, depressive episodes can be as severe as those in Major Depressive Disorder or Bipolar I Disorder, and can last for longer periods of time.

Hypomania Symptoms in bipolar 2 include:

Firstly, elevated mood: Feeling euphoric or irritable
Energy: Increased energy and hyperactivity
Behavior: Abnormal behaviors, such as excessive spending, substance abuse, or engaging in risky behavior
Thoughts: Racing thoughts, faster thoughts, and flying quickly from one idea to the next
Speech: Rapid, uninterruptable, and/or loud speech
Lastly, Other: Decreased need for sleep, inflated self-image, making unrealistic plans, hypersexuality, and being more sociable or flirtatious

Depression Symptoms in bipolar 2 include:

Firstly, Mood: Feeling numb, drained, hopeless, sorrowful, or sad
Sleep: Trouble falling asleep or waking up, sleeping at times of the day when you’re usually active
Interest: Losing pleasure in things you usually enjoy, including sex
Focus: Losing the ability to focus or concentrate
Lastly, Weight: Weight loss or weight gain

Generally, bipolar disorder can occur at any age, but it’s typically diagnosed in the teenage years or early 20s. It’s more likely to develop in people with close relatives who have it. Stress and traumatic events can also contribute to triggering the condition.

Bipolar vs bpd: let’s explore the unique characteristics.

What are the 9 main symptoms of BPD?

The 9 symptoms of BPD

Firstly, fear of abandonment. People with BPD are often terrified of being abandoned or left alone.
Unstable relationships.
Unclear or shifting self-image.
Impulsive, self-destructive behaviors.
Additionally, self-harm.
Extreme emotional swings.
Chronic feelings of emptiness.
Explosive anger.
Lastly, feeling suspicious or out of touch with reality.

What is quiet bpd?

Bipolar vs bpd: let’s explore the unique characteristics. Basically, quiet borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a subtype of BPD that’s characterized by internalized symptoms. It’s also known as discouraged or high functioning BPD.

Even though people with quiet BPD experience intense emotions, but instead of outwardly displaying them, they keep them bottled up. This can lead to self-isolation and difficulty expressing feelings.

Some signs and symptoms of quiet BPD include:

Firstly, trying to appear calm and happy on the outside
Frantic efforts to avoid abandonment
In addition, unstable personal relationships
A harsh internal critic
Feeling hopeless all the time
Lastly, a disturbed self-image

Most effective treatment for bipolar disorder

Bipolar vs bpd: let’s explore the unique characteristics. Subsequently, the most effective treatment for bipolar disorder is a combination of medication and psychotherapy, and it’s important to continue treatment even after you feel better.

Medications Prescribed

Medications often include a mood-stabilizing drug, such as lithium carbonate or valproic acid, and an antipsychotic or antidepressant.

Given that, lithium is considered the gold standard for both adults and young people, but it works best for people with bipolar I and a family history of the disorder.

You should also have your kidney and thyroid function checked every six months.

Psychotherapy can include:

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): Overall, it helps change negative thinking and behavior associated with depression by teaching coping strategies and helping you recognize negative thoughts
Family-focused therapy: Helps people learn about the illness and carry out a treatment plan
Psychotherapy focused on self-care and stress regulation: Particularly helps you improve self-care, recognize patterns of symptom onset, and manage stress

Borderline personality disorder treatment

DBT for bpd

Bipolar vs bpd: let’s explore the unique characteristics. Overall, dialectical behavior therapy is considered the “gold standard” first-line treatment for borderline personality disorder.

Usually, DBT includes a combination of group skills training, individual psychotherapy, and coaching. In addition, individuals are asked to monitor their symptoms and use of learned skills daily while their progress is tracked. There are four key sets of coping skills developed in dialectical behavior therapy.

Mindfulness Meditation Skills

Mindfulness meditation skills are focused on being fully in the present. They center on learning to observe, describe, and participate in all experiences, including thoughts, sensations, emotions, and things happening externally in the environment without judging these experiences as “good” or “bad.”

Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills

Nonetheless, the focus of this skill module is on learning to successfully assert your needs and to manage conflict in relationships. When interpersonal effectiveness skills are developed, it can help instigate change in the person’s feelings of anxiety and depression.

Distress Tolerance Skills

In brief, the distress tolerance skills module promotes learning ways to accept and tolerate distress without doing anything that will make the distress worse in the long run. An example would be engaging in self-harm.

Emotion Regulation Skills

In this module, patients learn to identify and manage emotional reactions. Therefore, regulating emotions involves enhancing or reducing emotions in order to respond effectively and achieve individual goals.

Borderline personality disorder cognitive behavioral therapy

Bipolar vs bpd: let’s explore the unique characteristics. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a common and effective form of psychotherapy for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). CBT aims to help people with BPD understand how their thoughts and behaviors affect each other and how to change them. CBT can help people with BPD manage their symptoms by:

Identifying and challenging core beliefs. In any event, CBT can help people identify and challenge negative core beliefs they have about themselves and others.
Learning to tolerate strong emotions. Furthermore, CBT can help people learn to tolerate strong emotions and use healthy behaviors to regulate them.
Responding to problems adaptively. Eventually, CBT can help people learn to respond to problems in a healthy and adaptive way, rather than in a self-defeating manner.

Living with bipolar disorder

Bipolar vs bpd: let’s explore the unique characteristics. In short, getting treatment early can help prevent bipolar disorder from worsening. Knowledge is power. Learn the symptoms of the disorder to manage them better.

As part of psychotherapy, psychoeducation provides the tools needed to anticipate and control changing moods. In sum, it can increase your feelings of empowerment and hope by understanding how treatable the condition is.

These strategies can lessen disruptions in your life due to bipolar disorder:

Avoid drugs and alcohol.
Using alcohol or nonprescription drugs changes the chemicals in the brain. Hence, this can worsen symptoms and make them more likely to return.
Watch for early warning signs.
Consequently, addressing symptoms early can prevent episodes from getting worse. Over time, you may have identified a pattern to your bipolar episodes and what triggers them.
Involve friends and family.
Also, share the warning signs and triggers you have identified with family, close friends and your health care team so they can better support you. In particular, develop a specific plan and share how you would like them to cue you into your symptoms when you show signs of mania. They often can identify the behaviors and actions that signal a mania episode first and help you prevent your symptoms from reaching the highest level.
Engage in a purpose.
In similar fashion, explore ways to create a sense of purpose by evaluating your values and beliefs. Identify what is important to you and set goals matching those ideals.
Manage stress and recharge.
The brain and body react similarly to positive or negative stress, which can trigger an episode. Consider keeping a daily journal or record of your feelings, mood and any activities that affect your stress level. Thus, find a creative outlet or physical activity to channel your energy. Yoga or meditation can be helpful relaxation techniques.
Keep a sleep schedule.
Subsequently, sleep disturbance is a core symptom of bipolar disorder. Maintaining a consistent, scheduled sleep pattern with the same sleep-wake schedule daily is vital. Getting seven to nine hours of sleep per night is important. Surely, a work schedule that requires changing shift times can predispose a person with bipolar disorder to episodes.
Take your medications exactly as directed.
You may be tempted to stop treatment — but don’t. In effect, stopping your medication or reducing your dose on your own may cause withdrawal effects, or your symptoms may worsen or return. But, for some people, it can be tempting to stop medication during a manic episode because the symptoms produce a good feeling. In due time, this can lead to negative consequences, including taking longer to stabilize when back on medication.

Surviving borderline personality disorder

Bipolar vs bpd: let’s explore the unique characteristics. Different things work at different times for different people, so try to be kind to yourself if some things don’t work for you. Over time, you might develop your own tips to add to this list too.

Here are some tips on how to help yourself:

If I’m feeling angry, frustrated or restless

You could:

Firstly, rip up some paper
Hit a pillow
Do some exercise
Listen to loud music
Lastly, do a practical activity like gardening or woodwork

If I’m feeling depressed, sad or lonely

You could:

Firstly, wrap up in a blanket and watch your favourite TV show
Write all your negative feelings on a piece of paper and tear it up
Additionally, listen to music that you find uplifting or soothing
Write a comforting letter to the part of yourself that is feeling sad or alone
Let yourself cry or sleep
Lastly, cuddle a pet or a soft toy

If I’m feeling anxious, panicky or tense

You could:

Firstly, make yourself a hot drink and drink it slowly, noticing the taste and smell, the shape of the mug and its weight in your hand
Take 10 deep breaths, counting each one out loud
Write down everything you can think of about where you are right now, such as the time, date, colour of the walls and the furniture in the room
Lastly, take a warm bath or shower – this can help change your mood by creating a soothing atmosphere and a distracting physical sensation

If I’m feeling dissociative or spaced out

You could:

Firstly, chew a piece of ginger or chilli
Clap your hands and notice the stinging sensation
Lastly, drink a glass of ice-cold water

If I want to self-harm

You could:

Firstly, rub ice over where you want to hurt yourself
Stick sellotape or a plaster on your skin and peel it off
Lastly, take a cold bath or shower

Conclusion

Bipolar vs bpd: let’s explore the unique characteristics. Understanding bpd is a mental condition that makes it challenging to control emotions.In other words, it affects self-perception and relationships, and those with the disorder can experience intense reactions to certain triggers.

In truth, identifying these triggers is important for coping with the condition. Triggers can relate to relationships or internal thoughts. Undoubtedly, relationship triggers may stem from past traumas, leading to fear of abandonment, self-image issues, and paranoid thoughts. Cognitive triggers relate to thought processes, including boredom, isolation, and threats to self-concept.

Therefore, managing triggers involves identification, avoidance, and coping strategies.

The symptoms and traits of bipolar have been associated with high IQ and perseverance on difficult tasks. Also, other positive attributes exhibited during a hypomanic state, which may favor entrepreneurial activities, include high energy levels, extroversion, self-esteem and optimism.

Ultimately, bipolar disorder is complex. Hence, it is not easy to treat, nor is it easy to live with. In fact, it may take many years to learn how to manage it, as it did for me.

Not to mention, I reached recovery thanks to great treatment, but most of all because of me. Once I realized that I could manage my symptoms, I took responsibility for my illness and did everything I could to get and stay well.

And now I’ve been of lithium for about a year. I still have some symptoms, but I’m able to control them thanks to my coping skills. Until next time…

Articles about Bipolar and BPD

-Supporting someone with bipolar disorder

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/bipolar-disorder/supporting-someone-with-bipolar/#:~:text=Stay%20calm%20if%20you%20can,it%20feels%20real%20for%20them.

-Bipolar II Disorder

https://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/bipolar-2-disorder

-BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER TRIGGERS

https://www.optimumperformanceinstitute.com/bpd-treatment/triggers

–Borderline Personality And Abuse Awareness

https://mentalhealthcenter.com/borderline-personality-and-abuse-cycle/#:~:text=Most%20borderlines%2C%20until%20and%20unless,or%20any%20of%20its%20consequences.

Have a Good One,

Cindee Murphy, One Voice In The Vastness Of Emotions

“Bipolar is like being in a roller coaster ride. Sometimes you can predict drop-offs and others you just have to hang on because the next turn sends you into an unexpected spiral. Sometimes you are laughing and throwing your hands in the air and then other times you are clinging, simply holding on for dear life screaming at the top your lungs.”

“Deeply vulnerable and hurting within as you act tough outside. You do need people; you need them so much so that it scares you to death. You drive them away so they don’t get too close; yet you regret it every time you do.”
― Rachel Reiland, Get Me Out of Here: My Recovery from Borderline Personality Disorder

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Panic Disorder Coping Skills(Opens in a new browser tab)

The Many Faces of Depression: Types and Symptoms(Opens in a new browser tab)

Bipolar With Psychotic Features(Opens in a new browser tab)