[Gabyunbound]

I was reading an interview with a psychiatrist and there was a part about distinguishing between the diagnosis of Bipolar vs that of Borderline Personality Disorder.

In any case, the psychiatrist said the difference is that bipolar is about "mood" changes/swings and Borderline is about "emotional" changes/swings.

He didn't elaborate (except to say that those with Borderline tend to externalize, i.e. blame issues on others or other things), so does anyone know or have any ideas as to what this might mean?

[Daonnachd]

From NAMI:

People with BPD experience wide mood swings and can display a great sense of instability and insecurity. Signs and symptoms may include:

Frantic efforts to avoid being abandoned by friends and family.
Unstable personal relationships that alternate between idealization—“I’m so in love!”—and devaluation—“I hate her.” This is also sometimes known as "splitting."
Distorted and unstable self-image, which affects moods, values, opinions, goals and relationships.
Impulsive behaviors that can have dangerous outcomes, such as excessive spending, unsafe sex, substance abuse or reckless driving.
Suicidal and self-harming behavior.
Periods of intense depressed mood, irritability or anxiety lasting a few hours to a few days.
Chronic feelings of boredom or emptiness.
Inappropriate, intense or uncontrollable anger—often followed by shame and guilt.
Dissociative feelings—disconnecting from your thoughts or sense of identity, or “out of body” type of feelings—and stress-related paranoid thoughts. Severe cases of stress can also lead to brief psychotic episodes.
- See more at: https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Ment....imz7d0Tw.dpuf

To add to vertgo's post...

I believe that mood and emotion are two distinct entities. In my opinion, mood is how you feel and emotion is how you react. I think mood can definitely influence emotion, but emotion is still a separate thing.

Here's an example:
Anger is an emotion, and you can be angry whether your mood is normal, depressed, mixed, or euphoric. Your emotion does not dictate your mood.

[Gabyunbound]

Found this on the web:

Emotions are aroused in people by some specific objects or situations. On the other hand, moods are not created in someone because of any specific object or any particular situation. For example, if a person gets angry, he expresses that emotion towards someone. If a person is in a sad mood, he cannot express it to others. The concept that emotion is object- based has been proven even during Aristotle’s times. The object- directed distinction has always been a criterion to differentiate between moods and emotions.

Difference Between Mood and Emotion | Difference Between | Mood vs Emotion

I may have answered my own question -does this makes sense?

[Daonnachd]

Originally Posted by bluebicycle

To add to vertgo's post...

I believe that mood and emotion are two distinct entities. In my opinion, mood is how you feel and emotion is how you react. I think mood can definitely influence emotion, but emotion is still a separate thing.

Here's an example:
Anger is an emotion, and you can be angry whether your mood is normal, depressed, mixed, or euphoric. Your emotion does not dictate your mood.

Thank you. That's an excellent example.

[Daonnachd]

Originally Posted by Gabyunbound

(Paraphrasing)Emotion is object based.

I may have answered my own question -does this makes sense?

It makes sense to me, but the important question is if it makes sense to you. I think that blue nailed it, though. Mood is how I feel. Emotion is how I react to something or someone. And if you read about BPD, you'll find volatility is central to the illness.

[Gabyunbound]

Originally Posted by vertigo

It makes sense to me, but the important question is if it makes sense to you. I think that blue nailed it, though. Mood is how I feel. Emotion is how I react to something or someone. And if you read about BPD, you'll find volatility is central to the illness.

Yes, now it makes a lot more sense, thanks everyone!