[struggling8326]

I need help. I was diagnosed with bipolar 20 years ago and my last therapist also hinted that I was borderline. I think I have many of the characteristics of borderline but I have never self injured. Does that mean I'm "just" bipolar and not both? It may not seem like it matters but the label does matter to me bc it helps me process what is going on.

For instance, I am really really struggling right now... I have 2 "friends" which are really just texting buddies. They both know I am not well right now but unless i contact them they will not check on me. I would text them 50x a day if I didn't know it would drive them away so I monitor myself and limit myself to only a few. Today my goal is to not text either unless they text first. I probably can do that with one of them but the other I am so obsessed with I don't know if I can pull that off.

I really feel like I am going crazy right now

self harm is just ONE tendency of BPD. There are many others. Do not freak if you are or are not BPD.

Either way - you are "you". And that is all that matters.

God bless you.

[technigal]

You only need 5 of the 9 traits to be borderline. I don't self harm either but I have every other traits.

[Angel of Bedlam]

Originally Posted by struggling8326

I need help. I was diagnosed with bipolar 20 years ago and my last therapist also hinted that I was borderline. I think I have many of the characteristics of borderline but I have never self injured. Does that mean I'm "just" bipolar and not both? It may not seem like it matters but the label does matter to me bc it helps me process what is going on.

For instance, I am really really struggling right now... I have 2 "friends" which are really just texting buddies. They both know I am not well right now but unless i contact them they will not check on me. I would text them 50x a day if I didn't know it would drive them away so I monitor myself and limit myself to only a few. Today my goal is to not text either unless they text first. I probably can do that with one of them but the other I am so obsessed with I don't know if I can pull that off.

I really feel like I am going crazy right now

You can have concurring diagnoses. Self-harm is common with BPD, but there are many other criteria for the diagnosis. Either way, both of those can be disabling, and I wish you all the best.

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[guest1234567]

Originally Posted by struggling8326

I need help. I was diagnosed with bipolar 20 years ago and my last therapist also hinted that I was borderline. I think I have many of the characteristics of borderline but I have never self injured. Does that mean I'm "just" bipolar and not both? It may not seem like it matters but the label does matter to me bc it helps me process what is going on.

For instance, I am really really struggling right now... I have 2 "friends" which are really just texting buddies. They both know I am not well right now but unless i contact them they will not check on me. I would text them 50x a day if I didn't know it would drive them away so I monitor myself and limit myself to only a few. Today my goal is to not text either unless they text first. I probably can do that with one of them but the other I am so obsessed with I don't know if I can pull that off.

I really feel like I am going crazy right now

you can be borderline without self injury. possibly refer to the DSM, there is a new version coming out. psychiatric professionals refer to it to diagnose patients. although i think that that book can take things too far, like recognize too many illnesses so that pretty much everyone has something.

[ginaaa22]

i have bipolar NOS and BPD. I don't think I am bipolar but i'm not a dr. There is alot of overlap though. someone on the bipolar forum explained it very well as to the differences so I'll see if I can find it.

[ginaaa22]

here is her response from the bipolar group:

You can have both, I do and there's only one difference regarding medication, BPD folk can be on an anti-depressant alone (if the dominant mood is depression) while no way in hell you can do that to BP person because it will cause hypo/mania.

So yes it does matter which diagnosis is accurate not only because of meds, but also because DBT is highly recommended for BPD, as meds cannot fix the screwed up thought distortions.

For me there are a few main differences that stand out which helps me identify what exactly I'm dealing with on any given day.

BPD:
Moods are reactionary, usually something or I should rather say someone triggers a mood swing. The only time its not directly triggered by an event, its triggered by feelings of emptiness and hopelessness, who's roots I will find in my skewed view of my relationship or irrational fear of losing my relationship.

If I am in a BPD mood, external factors can affect it and swing me in the opposite direction too. Example, I'm depressed and wanting to self-harm because my bf is out of town and I miss him. Should bf have a bunch of roses delivered to my house, GOOD BYE depression I am on top of the world!
Also my BPD moods swings are much more short lived than my BP swings.

BPD is largely driven by distorted thought perceptions and an insane fear of abandonment, whether there is a real threat of being abandoned or not. That's why DBT comes highly recommended because it helps to manage those thought patterns and thus decrease the amount of damage we cause to our loved ones by "acting out" (gosh I hate that term but I'll be the first to admit I have the emotional IQ of a child) which in turn helps to minimise the turmoil we experience so frequently.

My BP

My moods are 99% random, the 1% being stress induced. I will wake up in the morning highly upset and depressed by the fact that I'm breathing and I will probably stay that way for minimum a week. Likewise, I can and have woken up at 3am feeling insanely happy, energetic, motivated and inspired to do a load of washing.

These 2 opposite moods are also accompanied by huge shifts in energy. When I'm depro, my body feels like its made of concrete and I struggle to just get out of bed, when I'm hypo I'm like fricken tigger, bouncing off the walls, can't sit still for shyt, and sleep is for the dead.

Also, my BP swings cannot be influenced by external factors. A bunch of roses will not a depressive episode end. I doubt I would even smell them or think how pretty they are or how thoughtful my bf was. They will have zero impact on me, so I have to surf out each wave because they always come and go just as they please.

Uhm.. I think I've covered the basics as I see them from my POV. Hopefully I didn't forget anything fundamental, but if I did I'm sure another poster will add it.

Hope this helps!

[IndieVisible]

You can indeed have a concurring diagnoses of both, or also very common, to have some but not enough traits to qualify for concurring diagnoses but still have enough to show signs. For example many people also have some form of OCD to some degree even if not enough to qualify for such a diagnosis.

My understanding as limited as it is that self harm can also be present with BP and does not have to be present for BPD. So that by itself is not enough to say one way or another. Some do some don't that's all.

So relax, just because you have some of the common traits of BPD does not mean you are.

[lynn808]

I am also BP and BPD....have been on lots of different meds for the BP over the years....took myself off meds for over 8 yrs....was diagnosed with the BPD a few months ago...I am only on meds for the anxiety and panic right now...not BP meds...which surprised me...but I am working through all of this will help from a T and my pdoc.... I'm not sure of the labels that the docs use...and in the long run...it doesn't really matter...If it works and I can function better as a person...feel more whole and in control...that's all that matters....good luck on your journey too....take care now