Complex trauma can look like bi polar from a short outside view. But from a long term inside knowing if you are sailing high as a kite for days and days and feeling utterly high, perfect and untouchable and then crashing and burning you know it is BPD or old school manic depression. The untouchable highs and the unworldly lows are what makes you KNOW according to my Auntie who has this.

Complex trauma is nowhere near so clear cut in the highs and lows. In fact I would go so far as to say we don't really get mega highs with complex trauma. We get days where we feel normal and that can feel like a big high, but we are not feeling above the world and going big on risky or grandiose behaviour. I've never met a truly grandiose complex trauma victim, just those amazed to be having a good day and getting the max out of it. Or avoiding a bad day and doing some serious booze/drug/sex involved escaping.