Are you bipolar or an addict looking for insight from a like-minded soul? Have a loved one suffering from bipolar or addiction and want some inside advice? While I’m not a doctor or medical expert, I can tell you about my experiences with this dual diagnosis and look to support others with replies. Note that your submission may be used in an upcoming blog post, although names will be changed.
This week Beth Y writes:
I’ve seen the initials BPD on bulletin boards and in support chat rooms. Do they stand for “bipolar disorder” or “borderline personality disorder”? What’s the difference between the two?
A: These initials stand for borderline personality disorder, a psychiatric condition that is different from bipolar, although it shares some similarities.
When most people think of Winona Ryder’s character in 1999’s Girl, Interrupted, they think of bipolar disorder. However, the film is actually about a girl with borderline personality disorder.
In bipolar disorder, as many of us know, moods can shift from overjoyed (manic) to extremely depressed.
The hallmarks of BPD are unstable emotions and mood swings, belligerence, acting on impulse, and problems with self-worth. Fear of abandonment is common, as is self-harm, addiction, and suicidal ideation.
Like those who experience bipolar mania, people with BPD may experience psychosis, behave impulsively, act out sexually, or go on excessive shopping sprees. Binge-eating and bulimia are also noted.
Those with BPD are often angry — at people, at the world, or at anything in particular. Their opinions of others can turn on a dime from good to bad, and they may suddenly view a person as a threat.
Antipsychotics and antidepressants are used to treat borderline in the short term, because symptoms tend to shift quickly with this disorder. So if suicidal ideation is present, a doctor may prescribe an antidepressant until that ideation passes. With bipolar, antipsychotics are part of a regular ongoing medication regimen.
“During brief reactive psychoses, low doses of antipsychotic drugs may be useful, but they are usually not essential adjuncts to the treatment regimen, since such episodes are most often self-limiting and of short duration,” Dr. Phillip W. Long told Psych Central. “It is, however, clear that low doses of high-potency neuroleptics (e.g., haloperidol) may be helpful for disorganized thinking and some psychotic symptoms.”
Borderline personality disorder is a very ugly disease. Uglier than bipolar. And one that divides family, friends, and work relationships. The primary source of treatment for BPD is psychotherapy, so it’s important that one have a good therapist to lean on.
The best treatment for BPD is called Dialectical Behaviour Therapy or DBT. Please see my blog for information on Borderline Personality Disorder here: https://makebpdstigmafree.wordpress.com/
I have a friend with borderline and ever since we met, I’ve been kinda fascinated by personality disorders ’cause they’re a whole different animal compared to mood disorders. I’ve also gotten the initials mixed up more than once. Thanks for explaining!