Bipolar and highly sensitive people

Hello,

This will be my last post for awhile with me having to leave the site for a temporary period.

I have spent a lot of time discussing how confused I was with receiving a bipolar and borderline personality diagnosis. I have been beating myself up with is it this is it that and looking far to deeply into it.

I came across this post by someone who has has had similar diagnosis BP2 and then BPD and it has helped so much. Hope it resonates with a lot of you.

The post shows how someone who is highly sensitive responds to external environments and situations with an overactive mind. It appears the brain of both BPs and HSP have similarities in processing information resulting in the fluctuations of mood etc.

I have just had a number of days of depression based upon situations which most people would find quite innocuous. The other side of the coin is that I achieve so much, have better and bigger ideas than anyone else in my field of work and have great enthusiasm for projects or things.

This post has really helped by getting me past is it a personality thing or a BP thing. Even in psychiatry they can't seem to appear to decide with debate continuing and psychiatrists often diagnosing people one way or another which is extremely common.

I coming to the conclusion does it matter what it is called? As long as people get the help and treatment that works for them. I also think we live in a sick society in the west which is not conducive to people who have reactive moods and sensitive temperaments. I maintain that perhaps society is sick and not us.

Bipolar Disorder and the Highly Sensitive Person - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com

I agree, I don't think it matters what label they give as long as they know how to treat us and get us back to functioning human beings.

Thanks. After so many years things are beginning to make a lot more sense. I always had an inclination whereabouts I was in mental health terms but this blog by the person who has had similar dx has really helped. There are further articles on the anxious sensitive cyclothymic temperament which further confirm this.

What I found scary for years was how I was hyper sensitive to external stimuli like sounds and lights etc. Even caffeine would send me irritable and hyper in an unpleasant edgy way. I am finally learning that I need to pace myself on my terms to cope with this impairment. I bet a lot on here are similar to myself and do not put their needs first.