Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder seem very similar

[Steven_v]

from what ive read the two have a lot in common.
so what do they have incomon?
what are the differences?
how do doctors diognose one or the other.
what are the signs people should looking for? espicially if they may have been wrongly diognosed

 

[braveheart]

Re: Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar disorder, seem very similar?

Well, I have Borderline tendencies. But noone could really ever say that I was Bipolar. Unless they were totally wayyyyy off track. I guess some people's Borderline-ness could seem like the mood swings of bipolar. For me, my borderline-ness is flavoured with severe depression, emotional vulnerability, dissociation and paranoia. Plus the terror of abandonment.
Not sure if that helps.

 

[Steven_v]

Re: Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar disorder, seem very similar?

i have some of the same symptones and ive been diognosed with Bipolar disorder. there is from what ive read they have very similar syptomes. just woundering what factores doctors use to diognose one from the other

 

[David Baxter PhD]

You are correct, Steven. The two diagnoses can be confused, especially if the mental health professional is inexperienced.

The process of differential diagnosis (determining the correct or best diagnosis or diagnoses when the individual shows symptoms which may overlap two or more disorders or when the individual shows symptoms of more than one disorder) is a sometimes complex one that takes training and practice - one of the main reasons for restricting the legal right to diagnose to a limited number of licensed professionals.