Bi-polar vs borderline personality disorder

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I'd be really grateful if someone could explain to me, in layman's terms, the general differences between these two mental health conditions. Will explain more if needed, but just at the moment I am feeling a bit ignorant and would appreciate help with this particular question. Thank you.

They are very different illnesses.

People with bipolar experience periods of mania and periods of depression. The cycles tend not to be quick, so periods of mania and depression can last weeks or months. Manic periods see people struggling with impulse control and engaging in risky behaviours - spending money they don't have, being sexually promiscuous etc. Mood changes can be well managed with medication.

People with borderline personality disorder can experience rapid changes in mood, and can go from feeling fine to feeling suicidal in the same day. Sometimes they experience a shifting sense of self, feelings of emptiness and struggle to form relationships. They can feel emotions intensely, but might not be able to express how they feel. There's no specific meds that would be prescribed, but DBT therapy is recommended.

Borderline personality disorder is a dustbin diagnosis primarily given to traumatised women (usually who should instead receive a diagnosis of complex PTSD) to blame them for being traumatised and deny them trauma care.

There are countries that do not acknowledge it as a legitimate diagnosis because it's basically bullshit and abused by HCPs in the countries where it is used.

Bipolar 2 and Bpd are very similar in presentation.

Bipolar 1 is the classic bipolar, long periods of depression followed by long periods of mania.

Bipolar 2 is a much faster cycle of lows and highs.

It would be helpful to know which bipolar you are wanting a comparison to.

And DBT has an appalling evidence base and it is really damaging when used with traumatised people.

It's a social model, not even psycho-social so totally inappropriate for anybody dealing with trauma.

It is predicated on the idea that society has allowed people to "get away" with expressing their distress in "unacceptable" ways and therefore they need to be trained out of it by ignoring their distress and offering no compassion. It treats distressed, traumatised humans like naughty puppies.

But despite its toxicity and lack of evidence, it's cheap. So the NHS uses it anyway.

I should say I'm diagnosed Bpd but also think I have bipolar 2, as I do get periods of hypermania.

Those that fit the dx for Bpd are now more likely to get dx bipolar 2 or CPTSD, due to the stigma associated with having a Bpd dx.

Thank you.

So bpd cannot be treated with medication?

What is the best treatment for bpd?

Many symptoms of Bpd can be helped by medication, but there is no cure. As stated above, the standard treatment is DBT therapy in the UK.

There is no medication that is specifically for bpd, in the same way that there is for anxiety, depression etc, but patients may well still be medicated.

DBT is the recommended treatment for BPD. It teaches patients skills to manage their distress and relationships. I would disagree that there is a lack of evidence base for the use of DBT. It has been shown that it reduces incidences of self harm in the long term, as well as other benefits.

I have done group DBT and found it very helpful, but I think you have to be in a certain place mentally for it to work.

Studies show that over time bpd symptoms can lessen, even without any treatment.

I would disagree that there is no "cure" for borderline personality disorder. Any diagnosis is simply a description of a set of symptoms. If you are able to manage and reduce your symptoms through therapy, you can technically be undiagnosed. However, the medical model reigns supreme in this country and you would need a sympathetic psychiatrist to do this. I would agree with the previous poster that a bpd diagnosis firmly places the problem within the individual rather than thinking about what trauma has happened to them- hence the move towards diagnosing someone with complex PTSD instead, which is much less stigmatising

I personally think current diagnosis are quite crude and too broad brush. Hopefully they will evolve in the not too distant future. Problem is diagnosis can often be used against people, rather than for getting them the help and treatment they need

Does anyone know how to get a diagnosis?

I've been back and forth with depression for most of my life. I've always thought there was something 'else'.