Difference between Bipolar and Borderline impulsivity

My main indicator of mania/hypomania is the impulsive crap. I don't get all high and flighty and happy and energetic - I do stupid stuff and ruin my life. This is why I never really thought I was Bipolar, because I didn't realize that these type of things were mania.

Well, I've been diagnosed with BOTH Bipolar AND Borderline. And risky, impulsive behaviors fit the criteria for both. Spending, binging, sexual indiscretions (in my past, not recently), that sort of thing.

So any time I tell my pnurse that I've been spending a lot of money lately and my husband is mad at me, she thinks I'm manic so she ups the dose of something. And it just makes me a zombie.

But what if it's got nothing to do with Bipolar? Meds don't treat Borderline.

I am actually changing providers for my medications, so I'd like to get a good handle on how to describe how I'm feeling so the next one doesn't overmedicate me as well.

Do you know WHY are you being impulsive? Like... needing some excitement, feeling that you need to this right now, because world might end tomorrow... distracting yourself from other thoughts? Or maybe it's unconsious wanting to harm somebody?

and no offense, but what you posted you should fired that pnurse long time ago... she treated you as a slot machine. Do you have somebody to work with on the emotional aspects of your impulsivness.

Do you see a therapist or Psychologist at all? Even if it's a group therapy program for person's that are diagnosed with borderline. You may get some ideas on how to tell the difference between the 2 illnesses.

It may also help to keep a mood chart (if you don't already). From what I've read the moods with borderline tend to change much quicker than a person with bipolar, so by charting your mood and noting triggers it may help. I use this online mood tracker:

http://www.medhelp.org/land/mood-tracker

Usually, not always, but usually, manic behavior is like a rush and you get a gas out of spending or whatever. You lose your inhibitions and you don't care it just feels so good to do what you are doing. You get random ideas that seem like good ones at the time, you can feel powerful, awesome, superior, the best ever....it's all related to extreme elation is what I'm saying. Those emotions usually go with manic episodes. Of course, this is not in all cases, but maybe this can give you some context.

I do have a therapist, I just started with her a few weeks ago. I was previously seeing my pnurse for both meds and therapy. My appointment with my new pnurse for meds isn't until July, that's the earliest available.

My new therapist does DBT so I am hopeful.

I got chewed out Tuesday for not speaking my mind clearly enough so I'm trying to figure out how to explain these things correctly to future providers.

I struggle with this as well. I hope the new therapist helps.

Bipolar disorder is essentially a mood fluctuation disorder, characterized most often by depression. Bipolar people can abuse substances, but otherwise they do not typically show the range of different symptoms BPD people manifest.

BPD individuals can be depressed, but BPD is essentially a hyperreactive/impulsiveness disorder with mood features, but also other symptoms affecting thinking and perception, self-concept, relationships, etc.

BPD involves instability not only of mood, but of perception of self, perception of others, relationships, behavioral consistency, self-control, etc.

The mood disturbances in Bipolar Disorder typically are along a depression--mania dimension; (mania, hypomania) with BPD, however, mood disturbances typically involve the dimensions of anger and anxiety.

Most BPD patients do not have mania (sustained hyperactivity and elation), though they can often act impulsively." (Daniel C. Claiborn Atlanta)

From: http://www.aapel.org/bdp/BLbpd-bipolarUS.html

>>>>Bipolar disorder is essentially a mood fluctuation disorder, characterized most often by depression. Bipolar people can abuse substances, but otherwise they do not typically show the range of different symptoms BPD people manifest.<<<<<

Ummmm... No. My Main symptoms are psychosis and change in perception of my surroundings. And mania.

See, Bipolar is so different for each person. I've never been psychotic, never experienced the "happy" manias, never been extremely angry (due to mania....perhaps due to something that ticked me off, yes!). That's why I never really thought I was Bipolar until someone clued me in on the impulsive stuff.

In fact, the only times I have truly been "manic" by definition were triggered by antidepressants (because the docs didn't think I was Bipolar either).

Yet every time I get a little off, the answer is more meds, more meds, more meds. But what if it's not the Bipolar? Meds do nothing for Borderline. All they do is turn me into a zombie with no feeling, good or bad.

I just need to figure out how to explain this to the next person so they will actually listen to me.

I just need to figure out how to explain this to the next person so they will actually listen to me.

Good luck with that. Be assertive and mak them listen.

Your reaction to anti-d's is one of the criteria for a BPII diagnosis. Prior to being diagnosed my hypomanic episodes were quite subtle. When I was put on anti-d's I went into a mixed episode and 3 weeks later had to be hospitalized (I received my diagnosis in-patient).

I think it would be hard having a dual-diagnosis because it would be difficult figuring out which one was causing the issues. I also agree that changing/adding meds isn't always the answer.

Another member had posted this a while back. It's a very good article and speaks to the symptoms the two disorders share and the differences between the two. "I know there are sometimes discussions of whether someone has bipolar or something else, like borderline. I ran across this article on PsychCentral that compares the two. Here is the"link