I have been to two different psychiatrist...one diagnosed me with major depression and eupd-impulsive...the other one diagnosed me with both bipolar and eupd-borderline...my mood changes second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, thought by thought...I don't have long manic episodes like for weeks or days as required for a bipolar diagnosis...so, I am a bit skeptical about the bipolar diagnosis...I know these conditions have overlapping symptoms, are often co-morbid...but, how do I recover when I don't know what I am dealing with..
-
If you haven't yet, we highly encourage you to check out our Recovery Resources thread!
BeyondGoodNEvil
Member
- Jun 22, 2020
- 94
its hard to narrow down what exactly you suffer from but the methods of recovering are the same really
Alec
Wizard
- Apr 22, 2019
- 681
Yeah same with me, if I did have manic long lasting episodes then they were quite rare. My mood changes second by second.
Weary Soul
Soon I will be free
- Nov 13, 2019
- 1,156
"is it Bipolar or BPD?"
Bipolar Disorder (also known as Bipolar and confusingly sometimes abbreviated as BPD) has two different subtypes that I know of - BPD 1 and BPD 2, with each having different symptoms.
Confusingingly, BPD is also an acronym for Borderline Personality Disorder, which is a different diagnosis than bipolar.
Resident experts here, please correct me if I am giving out misinformation. I am going off what I learned awhile ago, and this may have changed.
Personally, I really, really do not like labels - ultimately, to me, it is the symptoms that matter.
Psychology is a psuedo science at best. IMO, rather than trying to "name" or "label," a disorder it is the symptoms that matter (I have heard horror stories of people being labelled with different diagnoses each time they see a different psychiatrist, which leads to a plethora of different treatments).
Finding the best teatment for the symptoms you have seems to me to be so much more important than putting a label on what is impacting your life. (Just my opinion) : )
<3
On edit: "I just did a quick search and found this - Borderline personality disorder is also known as emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD). If your doctor says you have EUPD, they may say you have 'borderline' or 'impulsive' type EUPD."). Also, my apologies, I just re-read your post and may have misunderstood the question. But, I would say the same thing - no matter the label, it is treatment for relief of symptoms that matter. Personally, I would focus on this instead of a label.
Bipolar Disorder (also known as Bipolar and confusingly sometimes abbreviated as BPD) has two different subtypes that I know of - BPD 1 and BPD 2, with each having different symptoms.
Confusingingly, BPD is also an acronym for Borderline Personality Disorder, which is a different diagnosis than bipolar.
Resident experts here, please correct me if I am giving out misinformation. I am going off what I learned awhile ago, and this may have changed.
Personally, I really, really do not like labels - ultimately, to me, it is the symptoms that matter.
Psychology is a psuedo science at best. IMO, rather than trying to "name" or "label," a disorder it is the symptoms that matter (I have heard horror stories of people being labelled with different diagnoses each time they see a different psychiatrist, which leads to a plethora of different treatments).
Finding the best teatment for the symptoms you have seems to me to be so much more important than putting a label on what is impacting your life. (Just my opinion) : )
<3
On edit: "I just did a quick search and found this - Borderline personality disorder is also known as emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD). If your doctor says you have EUPD, they may say you have 'borderline' or 'impulsive' type EUPD."). Also, my apologies, I just re-read your post and may have misunderstood the question. But, I would say the same thing - no matter the label, it is treatment for relief of symptoms that matter. Personally, I would focus on this instead of a label.
Last edited:
western_heart
trying to save ourself
- May 23, 2021
- 628
I have never been diagnosed with BPD/EUPD but I have been diagnosed with "personality disorder not otherwise specified" and bipolar disorder. The more I pay attention to my behavior in relationships, the more I see borderline aspects...
for me, my bipolar diagnosis is questionable. It was first made because I became hypomanic after being prescribed antidepressants. Having the diagnosis allowed me to go to a special bipolar clinic at the time, when I lived near a university that had one. I've since moved and now I'm not even currently diagnosed as bipolar by my previous therapist.
In my case, diagnosis mattered since it led me to get treatment at a specialist clinic that I happens to live very close to. As mentioned by a previous reply, the exact diagnosis doesn't matter when the treatments are the same, which is the case more often than not.
for me, my bipolar diagnosis is questionable. It was first made because I became hypomanic after being prescribed antidepressants. Having the diagnosis allowed me to go to a special bipolar clinic at the time, when I lived near a university that had one. I've since moved and now I'm not even currently diagnosed as bipolar by my previous therapist.
In my case, diagnosis mattered since it led me to get treatment at a specialist clinic that I happens to live very close to. As mentioned by a previous reply, the exact diagnosis doesn't matter when the treatments are the same, which is the case more often than not.
socrates
I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance.
- Dec 3, 2019
- 275
Bipolar and BPD are pretty similar and you may have them both. Some key differences are with Bipolar impulsivity will only happen during the manic stages where as with bpd the symptoms are constant. BP is a mood disorder meaning symptoms can come and go, BPD is a personality meaning the symptoms are always there. With BPD we have a fear of abandonment we don't really see that with bipolar, unless were in a depressive state. We see a deep feeling of emptiness and a lack of a sense of self with BPD and we don't really see that with BPD. Obviously ever case is different, and diagnosis isn't always important. Some people find peace in having a name though.
If you can understand Nietzsche or the Capitalism and Schizophrenia volumes it is bipolar.
Bipolar 1 and 2 do not have different symptoms. They have the same symptoms with a different severity and timeline of presentation. There is in both disorders a mood component whereby one oscillates between highs and lows with some periods of relatively stable mood. In bipolar 1 the euphoric symptoms--mania--are extreme/severe, while in bipolar 2 they are less pronounced and called hypomania.
I am antipsychiatry but still recognize that the diagnostic entities within the DSM do a good job of describing different presentations of symptoms that typically occur with one another. Personally I think the medical conception of brain illness can be helpful for people to read + familiarize with regardless of whether they agree with the application of psychiatry or the implications of 'labeling.'
OP - mania is very obvious to experience. You are probably not bipolar unless you are highly oblivious to what your experiences are.
Bipolar 1 and 2 do not have different symptoms. They have the same symptoms with a different severity and timeline of presentation. There is in both disorders a mood component whereby one oscillates between highs and lows with some periods of relatively stable mood. In bipolar 1 the euphoric symptoms--mania--are extreme/severe, while in bipolar 2 they are less pronounced and called hypomania.
I am antipsychiatry but still recognize that the diagnostic entities within the DSM do a good job of describing different presentations of symptoms that typically occur with one another. Personally I think the medical conception of brain illness can be helpful for people to read + familiarize with regardless of whether they agree with the application of psychiatry or the implications of 'labeling.'
OP - mania is very obvious to experience. You are probably not bipolar unless you are highly oblivious to what your experiences are.
lofticries
obedear
- Feb 27, 2021
- 1,470
as someone with bpd i wish i was bipolar instead.
Last edited:
Flippy
Felis Sapien
- Jan 5, 2020
- 931
I've had to work out the answer to the same question and all I can recommend is that you look carefully at the symptoms of each disorder and write down the ones that you know in your heart of hearts apply to yourself. If you get a strong bias of BPD or BP symptoms then you can probably make a pretty good decision on which you believe you have. It has to be said though that some mental health professionals can be quite disgusting in the way they treat people with BPD. There can be a tendency for professionals to be in a rush to discharge patients with this disorder as they "just need to sort themselves out" and work on their "negative personality traits".
As people have pointed out the symptoms are very similar so no less deserving of help and treatment, however in the UK at least this often appears not to be the case. I would talk to your psychiatrist about how they would help you with treatment going forward. If they don't seem to believe BPD patients need real help then I would suggest finding a more compassionate doctor.
In my case I had already been diagnosed with bipolar many years earlier, but my new psychiatrist didn't care to believe me or check the diagnosis was on record. So I found out far too late that he had changed my diagnosis to a none specific personality disorder without informing me. Also suggested essentially my bipolar diagnosis was a lie and a delusion that had to be challenged. So I found myself on the receiving end of gaslighting, invalidation as well as harmful, inappropriate treatments. The justification for which seemed to be I had to be treated badly so I would disavow my "delusion". There seems to be a general view that people with BPD need to be treated with callous indifference in order to challenge their "behaviour" . It's not my intention to worry you by telling you this, I just think that the importance of making sure you have a doctor that's going to genuinely try to help you can't be understated.
In terms of how I feel I resolved the question; I knew that my high and low episodes were generally long lasting, not fleeting and transient. That for me seemed to be the most significant trait of my illness. I wouldn't find my mood changed rapidly within the same day for example. Then there was the lack of a fear of abandonment. I don't have an unstable sense of self. I feel like I'm the same person whether high or low or bang on the middle. A long episode of low mood can make it harder for me to do the things that I suppose I identify as the activities that make me "me". And in a way that can feel like I'm not "me" any more as I just can't function well enough. I definitely still value those things though and that makes depression seem even more devastating. But when I'm well or pretty high I can do those things and life feels fulfilling as long as things don't get too out of hand.
After my experience with a terrible psychiatrist I don't put much stock in the "labels" anymore. Having done more research on both illnesses, I'm of the view that BPD and BP are different manifestations of the same illness. Psychiatrists make an artificial distinction for reasons that are best known to them. You can kinda see this in the symptom table that someone else posted. it's largely the same symptoms but more negative language used to describe the BPD list. At least that's how I read it.
Sorry I've rattled on a lot here, this is a subject that has been quite significant for me recently too. Whatever you ultimately get diagnosed with I hope that you receive the best possible and most sincere help and this will lead to improvement in your situation and the fullest of recoveries!
As people have pointed out the symptoms are very similar so no less deserving of help and treatment, however in the UK at least this often appears not to be the case. I would talk to your psychiatrist about how they would help you with treatment going forward. If they don't seem to believe BPD patients need real help then I would suggest finding a more compassionate doctor.
In my case I had already been diagnosed with bipolar many years earlier, but my new psychiatrist didn't care to believe me or check the diagnosis was on record. So I found out far too late that he had changed my diagnosis to a none specific personality disorder without informing me. Also suggested essentially my bipolar diagnosis was a lie and a delusion that had to be challenged. So I found myself on the receiving end of gaslighting, invalidation as well as harmful, inappropriate treatments. The justification for which seemed to be I had to be treated badly so I would disavow my "delusion". There seems to be a general view that people with BPD need to be treated with callous indifference in order to challenge their "behaviour" . It's not my intention to worry you by telling you this, I just think that the importance of making sure you have a doctor that's going to genuinely try to help you can't be understated.
In terms of how I feel I resolved the question; I knew that my high and low episodes were generally long lasting, not fleeting and transient. That for me seemed to be the most significant trait of my illness. I wouldn't find my mood changed rapidly within the same day for example. Then there was the lack of a fear of abandonment. I don't have an unstable sense of self. I feel like I'm the same person whether high or low or bang on the middle. A long episode of low mood can make it harder for me to do the things that I suppose I identify as the activities that make me "me". And in a way that can feel like I'm not "me" any more as I just can't function well enough. I definitely still value those things though and that makes depression seem even more devastating. But when I'm well or pretty high I can do those things and life feels fulfilling as long as things don't get too out of hand.
After my experience with a terrible psychiatrist I don't put much stock in the "labels" anymore. Having done more research on both illnesses, I'm of the view that BPD and BP are different manifestations of the same illness. Psychiatrists make an artificial distinction for reasons that are best known to them. You can kinda see this in the symptom table that someone else posted. it's largely the same symptoms but more negative language used to describe the BPD list. At least that's how I read it.
Sorry I've rattled on a lot here, this is a subject that has been quite significant for me recently too. Whatever you ultimately get diagnosed with I hope that you receive the best possible and most sincere help and this will lead to improvement in your situation and the fullest of recoveries!
Heavens I have it all! I live in a city of over 4 million and I have been thrown out of every psychiatrists office that I have gone too. I like wise have had different ones tell me different things about my mental health and no one that I have gone to seems to agree with one another, so I said to heck with them all. I 100% agree with all the family members here that NONE of these issues are anything but soul sucking mental health issues. That is one reasons that we have each other here to help and look out for one another. Walter
Flippy
Felis Sapien
- Jan 5, 2020
- 931
Probably a good philosophy! I used to have a fairly positive view of psychiatrists, having a diagnosis and appropriate treatment did, for a relatively long time, change things for the better! Now I think they are mostly con artists, well they do like to claim that psychiatry is as much an Art as a Science so that might explain the "Art" bit. Whenever I hear one talk I'm struck by their arrogant tone and the sense that they are making it up as they go along, and usually with inadequate reference to diagnostic criterion. The way the last guy "diagnosed" me it was like saying that the fluffy dice on a rear view mirror caused catastrophic engine failure in a car!
Last edited:
