[Travelinglady]

I saw a TV show in which young kids were diagnosed as being bipolar, but it seemed to me like they were actually showing signs of borderline personality disorder. They were having lots of anger, instead of mania and depression. Could that diagnosis have been because they were considered too young to be diagnosed with a personality disorder? Thanks.

[atomicc]

I am no expert, but a person must be 18 before an official diagnosis of a personality disorder may be made. It's not the same for bipolar, especially because there has been increasing numbers of bipolar children being diagnosed.
I think that many times a bipolar diagnosis will be made in the way a child who shows signs of anti-social personality disorder will be diagnosed as having "conduct disorder" in child hood.

[BubonicPlague]

Like Atomicc said, you have to be 18 years of age to be diagnosed with a personality disorder; personality is said to be done developing by then.

[pegasus]

Hello Travelinglady,

Borderline personality disorder occurs in most by early adulthood. Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms | Psych Central

Here is an article on the differences between the two dagnosis' Differentiating Borderline Personality Disorder from Bipolar Disorder | Psych Central Professional

And here is a list of adult and childrens disorders Mental Disorders & Conditions - DSM

It's strange. You'd think there would be some sort "child hood disorder" that corresponded to the other personality disorders like conduct disorder and ASPD.

I know I personally showed far more BPD traits as a 16 year old than as a 22 year old.

I understand why they wait to diagnose but sometimes it must be really obvious even if someone is a teenager.

I guess given how often bipolar and BPD are misdiagnosed in adult hood bipolar could be a possible 'transitional' type thing for young adulthood but in the end they are very different disorders so I don't see how diagnosing bipolar would actually help the patient?

[Travelinglady]

I agree. I particularly don't like the fact that people who watch these shows might be misled about what the symptoms of various disorders are.

I know personality develops over time, but that said, I suspect many of us show a few of the same traits we showed when we were younger. The kids in the show had all been abused. In one family there were four kids who all had been diagnosed as bipolar. I know bipolar has a hereditary component, but I see more the common early abuse/neglect leading to anger problems in all of them.

There ought to be a different diagnosis for kids, as far as I am concerned. Oh, well.

(By the way, I am bipolar and was also diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.)

I think the reason why they won't diagnose personality disorders until a person is 18 is because every teen goes through all kinds of emotions, I could be wrong but IMO I think that is why.

[Travelinglady]

True. The teenage years are a time of change, with hormones kicking in, etc.

[Jordy]

I started showing signs of BPD when I was about 16, but it got much worse when I was 20-22.
My best friend has BPD too, but I don't know too many details, all I can say is that he has a 3 year-old daughter, and while we can't say anything for sure, she already shows signs of possibly developing BPD later on. Her younger sister doesn't and when spending some time with both of them the difference is really obvious. Because she's only 3, all we do is try and teach her how to deal with strong emotions and hope for the best.

[Verity81]

I was showing signs of BPD by 14 if not younger

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[healingme4me]

I have a friend with a child in the bipolar system. She admits to his anger, mis'conduct'. He was on meds a bit, now off. When he gets angry, at his school, teachers first grasp to her is to medicate. Mother disagrees. She sees it different, as triggered enragement and wants more focus on coping skills.

Just an added case to your wonderment.

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[chelsea89]

I'm weary of childhood bipolar diagnoses and alot of personality disorder diagnoses in young adults. I was misdiagnosed ADHD, the stimulants made me manic while in effect and depressive while the effects were wearing off (can you guess the next diagnosis in the sequence?), Bipolar! And because I didn't want to take the medications I also got slammed with ODD in the process. The Bipolar medications made me just out of it and all over the place. Depressed, catatonic, manic, enraged... et al. So by the time I was a teenager I was labeled with NPD, BPD, and HPD traits, but taken off of the Bipolar medications and they threw in PTSD chronic as a consolation prize.
It took me until I was 25 to sort through the mess of diagnoses. What was really going on was a mixture of long-term abuse by drug addicted parents coupled with having Asperger's Syndrome. The problem is that so many of these disorders overlap in their symptoms.
Bipolar is fluctuating moods of depression and mania, someone with an ASD could easily portray these symptoms because of high anxiety mixed with being ostracized for their awkwardness. They can also be misunderstood just because of their affect and obsessively strong interests and beliefs.
BPD is severe fear of abandonment portrayed in catastrophic ways (suicidal ideations/gestures, threats, outbursts of anger to perceived abandonments). Someone with an ASD because of their life-long battle with acceptance into a social milieu that can be very cruel to those who are different, could fear being abandoned again and catastrophize those emotions with an intensity that could be mistaken for a BPD episode at times. Even due to sensory overload... I've sat in a corner screaming, "I want to die!" more than once just because I was overwhelmed with everything going on in my environment at the time.
Anti-social, Schizoid, and Narcissistic personality disorder could easily be misdiagnosed in someone with ASD because of their lack of need for social interactions.
And of course all of the above could be misdiagnosed for one or the other in an adult. Children by nature are irrational and impulsive so to accurately diagnose them with a severe mental disorder/personality disorder, I think, should be done with the greatest of caution, if at all!