[Bluegirl1226]

My question is as reflected in the title of this thread. I am bipolar II, rapid cycling and ADD. The description of BPD is very much me. Does BPD often accompany bipolar?

Thanks

[Unrigged64072835]

I don't know if it's often but it does cooccur. I have bipolar and BPD.

[Pastel Kitten]

I was diagnosed with rapid cycling bipolar 2 before my BPD diagnosis. It's not certain whether I'm also bipolar or if that was a misdiagnosis, but lamictal has stabilized it if that's the case.

[mindwrench]

I meet the criteria for both. But I know they can get confused due to similarities.
This video talks about what is the same and what is different.

[Bluegirl1226]

thanks everyone. I have no idea if I'm one or both. I guess I should talk with my therapist or my Pdoc.

My old therapist Missed my bipolar. She only saw we when I was sad. She never saw the flipside and mania. Also My old Psych.

So she may have thought I was BPD. Old Psych thought it was depression that came and went.

Nope Bipolar 1.

So, yes they can be confusing. Especially when you go to therapy, sporadically, like I used to before this diagnosis.

[Monteiralis]

BPD is usually caused by some sort of childhood trauma like abuse, neglect ect. Everyone experiences trauma at some point but if you are already predisposed genetically to Bipolar Disorder by a family member having the diagnosis it can make you more susceptible to developing BPD. I have BPD and Schizoaffective Disorder along with ADHD. I developed BPD from severe childhood trauma. The condition was exasperated when my parents gave me to the state when I was 15 y/o.

[zijax]

I don't know. I've never heard of the two being together. I have Bipolar 1 rapid cycling and BPD and so does my boyfriend but I don't know of anyone else who does.

[Starlana]

Originally Posted by Bluegirl1226

My question is as reflected in the title of this thread. I am bipolar II, rapid cycling and ADD. The description of BPD is very much me. Does BPD often accompany bipolar?

Thanks

It almost always does. The symptoms are very similar, but the cause is different. Bipolar is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. Borderline is caused by maladaptive defense mechanisms. Any good therapist should be able to figure out which you actually have.

[Lauliza]

From what I've learned in graduate school, both disorders are so misunderstood that it is common for bipolar to be mistaken for BPD and vice versa. That's not to say they can't co-occur, it's just that having a diagnosis of one does not make you more likely to have the other. BPD is a personality disorder brought on by childhood trauma, where bipolar disorder has more of a genetic basis and occurs with or without childhood trauma.

[zijax]

I've also heard that both disorders are commonly misdiagnosed for pms when estrogen levels are rising