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and stick by it..

I'm Bipolar, but have a few borderline traits.

i was best friends with someone, lived with them, worked with them, we had all the same friends. Then 7 months ago, he got into a relationship and moved in with his partner very quickly.
I couldnt even deal with it.
But i came to deal with it eventually, i became strong on my own, less dependant and a lot happier.
Now he doesnt want his partner any more and is thinking of splitting up with him, and i'm scared that i'm beginning to feel like i'm under his 'control,' (although i put myself there,) and starting to need him too much again.
I know in myself i need to take myself away to be able to see things clearly again, because everything is going all blurry.
But how can i just leave him when he is going through a tough time?
he doesnt NEED me like i have NEEDED him and probably will end up NEEDING him again if i dont steer clear.
i dont know what to do!!

PS. Has anyone here every been misdiagnosed as bipolar?

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I'm another bipolar with "borderline traits". (disclaimer: the "borderline traits" have not been professionally diagnosed, but if you lived in my head, they would be obvious) My understanding is that there are quite a lot of us.

Your reaction to your friend seems "normal" enough; I think plenty of non-borderline people feel attached, even addicted, to their friends. It's not healthy, but if it happens with just one relationship, it doesn't scream "BPD!!!" to me. Of course, my own borderline side may be making this sort of thing seem more common than it is. ; P

Have you ever had romantic feelings for your friend? Your post makes it sound like he is gay, but our hearts don't always fall for people who might reciprocate. If your feelings for him are a little more than platonic, some of the intensity of your reaction may be explained.

From what I've read, BPD is often misdiagnosed as bipolar. Up to 50% of people with a bipolar dx actually have a different condition, and BPD is often the true diagnosis (unipolar depression and PTSD are other common conditions mistaken for bipolar). And, many people have both bipolar and BPD. Some researchers even think that the two conditions are variations of the same illness. Here is a link to some info on that: http://www.psycheducation.org/depression/borderline.htm

Like Widget, I'd love to see some input on these issues from someone with diagnosed BPD.