Borderline vs. Bipolar

Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder are often confused with each other, but they are two very different disorders. While they do have some overlapping symptoms, they are not the same thing. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a personality disorder, while Bipolar Disorder (BP) is a mood disorder.

One of the biggest differences in BPD and bipolar is the shifts in mood. In Borderline it can last hours or days and in bipolar it usually lasts weeks to months. Bipolar disorder also has mania, whereas borderline doesn't. Mania is a state of abnormally elevated mood. It can be a burst of energy and feeling like you are on top of the world. My mood swings tend to last hours. In both cases depression can get really severe to the point of feeling like nothing will get better.

Borderline personality is also caused by trauma, whereas bipolar disorder is usually genetic. This may not always be the case, but often times it is. Impulsivity is also triggered differently. It does happen in both, but in BPD it is usually triggered by personality traits, where in bipolar it is linked more to depressive or manic episodes.

Borderline Personality Disorder and bipolar are different, but they do have overlapping symptoms as well. They both can have unstable relationships, mood swings, and impulsivity. They are just triggered by different things. Some other similarities can be low self- esteem and reckless behaviors. I believe a common one would be spending too much money.

While they can look similar, BPD and bipolar are very different. BPD is a personality disorder and bipolar is a mood disorder. Some people say BPD is the quick version of bipolar. This can seem like the case, but it is not always. I want to express that not everyone with BPD is the same and not everyone with bipolar disorder is the same. I know a couple people with bipolar disorder and they are completely different, but experience similar symptoms. I also know other people with BPD and they are not always similar to me. This is just my experience with people with BPD and bipolar and I am not speaking for everyone. I hope this helps at least a little!