Difference between bpd and bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder which is relatively common around the world and is found in both men and women. As a mental condition bipolar disorder is characterised by extreme and unusually long mood changes that swing between mania and depression. Both the moods are associated with specific symptoms which are largely changes in behaviour and emotions. However a lot of the symptoms of bipolar disorder are those which are found in several other conditions also, including Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Due to this, many people tend to confuse BPD for bipolar disorder, when in fact they are two completely different conditions and there are many differences between BPD and Bipolar disorder.

Borderline Personality Disorder mainly involves distortions in cognition. This change in the cognition gives rise to most of the other symptoms of BPD. One of the primary symptoms of borderline personality disorder is self-injury. This symptom is also seen in Bipolar disorder, but the difference between BPD and bipolar disorder in this relation is that in bipolar disorder the self-injury is more the result of suicidal ideation (severe depression) or hallucinations or delusions (severe mania).

Bipolar disorder is basically mood changes, which is also a symptom of BPD. However the difference between BPD and bipolar disorder is that while mood episodes in bipolar disorder can last up to several weeks and even months, in BPD the mood change lasts for a couple of hours. Another difference between BPD and bipolar disorder is that while bipolar disorder requires a presence of both mania (or hypomania) and depressive episodes, BPD symptoms mainly involve symptoms of depression keeping in line with distorted cognitions and even if there is a positive feeling, its tepid at best. Also in those with bipolar disorder, the mood changes are spontaneous and can occur out of nowhere while in those with BPD, the mood shifts are generally due to an external stressor like an argument with a parent etc.

One of the biggest difference between BPD and bipolar disorder is one symptom that isn’t common – patients with BPD live with a profound fear of being abandonment. People with bipolar disorder do not have this symptom.

Another major difference between BPD and bipolar disorder is that psychotic symptoms (hallucinations and delusions) are very often exhibited in severe cases of bipolar disorder while these are absent in those with BPD. Instead people with BPD function largely from the belief that they are worthless and no good and will be abandoned.

Differences between BPD and bipolar disorder can also be seen in the treatment method. For bipolar disorder medication works best along with conventional therapies like behavioural, cognitive etc though they aren’t always the best option. For BPD however, Dialectical behaviour therapy (which was specially designed for BPD) works best though medication is also required.