Bipolar or borderline??

I have a diagnosis of bipolar 1. I read some things about borderline on this site, and took the quiz. What if my diagnosis is wrong? I am really worried.

The only way to truly be sure is to go and see your care provider and ask them. Tell them your fears and they can either reassure you or they can help you get better treatment if they see a new diagnosis.

There's a distinct possibility you could have both.

Only a professional can try and work this out - i hope you feel you can talk to those in charge of your care. Should you wish, there are people here who can help you work through ways of doing this. Good luck.

Bipolar and Borderline diagnoses often overlap. Only your Therapist and Psychiatrist can know to what degree you exhibit one or both of these and what medicines might help you, diagnoses is what they do and is for them. However, you can observe yourself and whether the medicines and therapy help you and express your concerns, what is happening with you so they can better judge for themselves and how they treat you.

DBT helps both. Borderline doesn't usually need medication. Just learning how to function. I am on the fence about Bipolar. It depends on your level and your commitment and personality. I personally am not a fan of this kind of detailed diagnosis because it is really the symptoms that are unique to you. If you need and want medication they are probably going to be the same whether it is bipolar or borderline. There are a lot of people who disagree with me so take that as one opinion. Note: they both have the same initials so you could just say you are BPD

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Hello Sad&Bipolar. I wanted to say hi, and introduce myself. My name is Guy W. I actually just had a Therapist appt on last Monday, and asked the same exact question. You are not alone hoping that they may be wrong. I worry every day what tommorrow holds for people who recieve this diagnoses. I have been told to in my past, You may have BPD, and it is a very scary thought. I guess the only comfort, and possibly hope i might be able to offer you is to make sure you have a good P doc, and a Good Therapist that truely Understands YOU !!! They see so many people a day, they sometimes lose sight of the fact, This is our life we are dealing with here. There is a process of elimination for exact, and proper diagnoses, but we are the ones they perscribe meds to to help. If for any reason you feel like they might be wrong, or the medication does not offer you a sense of relief, PLEASE, Get a second opinion. You deserve that, and the piece of mind in knowing what is going on in your own world. For me, Welbutrin was a great drug, but it only offers temporary relief. As I write this I wish I could really talk to you, and see in wich ways, And area's this effects your life. Every single attempt to manage this illness comes with even more complex issues. I am not sure how long you have had this, But please find comfort in knowing, You truely are not alone. And, allso take some comfort in knowing, Bi-Polar people, are usually very missunderstood, But, Some of the most fasinating people on the planet. I am sorry to write so much. I appoligies, and will end by saying, If you ever want to talk, Please look me up on here as Guy W. I will allways listen, and I love to talk about this topic. It will never be a sad thing once understood. I wish you a happy Easter, and a Wonderfull, and truely Bright day. Sincerely, Mr. Guy W.

As some others have said, the two often overlap. You can have both BPD and bipolar. I am bipolar and I'm sure I have some BPD traits (especially the mood issues, not the abandonment fears, etc.). The bottom line is a treatment that works for YOU - not for the diagnosis, but for the individual.

Hello Sad&Bipolar,

Have you been diagnosed by a professional with bipolar? We can't diagnose here but if you want, you can tell us more about your actual symptoms and maybe we can help you with those fears. Medication and therapy is the answer for either anyway and as others have pointed out, it is possible to have a few diagnosis running along side each other. Try not to worry, you are not a diagnosis, you are a human being and you'll get through this. Hugs

I think bipolar is characterized by swings between exaggerated feelings of well-being with feelings of great depression. Borderline personality disorder, I think, is characterized by an almost permanent state of uncertainty -- being on the border of instability, prone to sudden swings of mood and thought. I think older theory was that this was a matter of personality, seen as so serious that it could not be changed -- something that therapists could not handle, and therefore they were more frustrated by or even frightened by.

So both conditions would share the traits of instability, but one has swings between extremes, swings that usually take place over hours or days, while borderline can produce much more rapid changes. Just as generalizations.

To someone familiar with "systems", you can see what might cause swings between extreme states -- this is characteristic of some systems, even physical, non-living ones, that get pushed out of equilibrium. Similar "pushes" away from equilibrium could cause a more general instability. But mental health types are usually not familiar with this kind of thinking.