bi polar 1 or 2 & boarderline?

Question

I have bi plar and boarderline personality disorder what is the diff between bipolar 1 and 2??? and what exactly is boarderline ? Ive been on so many "cocktails" as they call them (mix of meds) nothing seems to work!

Answer 1

OK, bipolar (1 or 2) are Axis 1 Disorders, meaning that they have a biochemical/neurochemical basis. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is an Axis 2 Disorder, meaning it is a personality disorder. They all share a number of symptoms, and BPD is often found in Bipolar patients.

The strict definition of the difference between bipolar 1 and 2 relates to the severity of the mania, and duration of episodes. Bipolar 1 requires at least one period of mania, while Bipolar 2 requires only Hypomania (not as severe as full mania and not severely affecting function or requiring hospitalisation).

Look up the full criteria on Wikipedia, but a better resource is http://www.crazyboards.org where there are plenty of people to share stories with.

Answer 2

I'm bipolar2/borderline

I've been on the med-meri-go-round for about a year and have finally found a "cocktail" that's been worknig quite well.

1000mg Depakote ER - contains manic episodes
150mg Wellbutrin XL - relieves depression
75mg Trazadone - helps for sleep

What's important to understand is that I was 100% compliant with my Dr's instructions. It took me 6 weeks to stabilize on Depakote, afterwhich, I was prescribed Wellbutrin. Wellbutrin takes 4 - 6 weeks to kick in.

I didn't experience any side effects through the process.

I have a very open and honest relationship with my Dr. where I'm actively involved by doing research. We discuss the medications, set proper expectation on when they will work and what the most effective approach is.

Believe it or not, there are Dr's out there that have no idea how to prescribe meds for Bipolar Disorder. If given the wrong meds, you can actually get worse and unfortunately, I had to experience that.

I'm not sure what you're on, but I have a pleathora of knowledge/experience on drugs. If you want, we can talk and maybe I can help give you some resolve or some good info you can talk to your dr. about.

[e-mail]

Answer 3

Bipolar I people experience mania more often and severely. Bipolar II people experience depression more often and more severely. While 1's experience depression, it is not as intense as the depression that a 2 gets and vice versa. To all of those who think Bipolar II is "less severe" are sadly mistaken. It is the hardest to diagnose which leads to several misdiagnoses. It also has the higher suicide rate of the two. Now you tell me which is more serious. And duration has NOTHING to do with which type. That is a characteristic that is person to person case. There are regular cycle types- 2 or 3 swings that last months. Rapid Cylclers that have 4 or more episodes a year. Ultral Rapid- 1 or 2 in the same month. And Ultradarians- Can cycle several times a day, the category I belong to.

Answer 4

Have you had a complete psychiatric workup[how many mood swings do you have and how old were you when first diagosed. I suggest seeing a psychiatrist who is also a researcher and will also be in theary to teach you how to recognize either a manic mood or depressed mood before it gets to bad that it is out of control. Do you have a family disposition to bipolar and have you self medicated with boose or drugs[this makes mood swings worse]. Boarderline personailty disorder causes so many episodes of depression and self destruction. This adds to the worsity of bipolar. As far as medications I suggest hospitalization to tritrate down from all meds[prescription and other the counter]
Please find a team of doctors who specialze with these difficult illnesses. Antianxiety drugs make your illness worse and you need to buy or rent relaxation tape and exercise[in AM] helps[keeping a daily journal is excellent. Hope you feel better soon on lless meds.

Answer 5

I would look this up in my DSM-IV but the short answer to the difference between the two Bipolar disorders are:

* The type 1
In the type 1, the person has primarily and regularly manic episodes The type 2
*
In the type 2, the person alternates depressive episodes with hypomanic episodes

Borderline Personality Disorder:

Diagnosis
A person with a borderline personality disorder often experiences a repetitive pattern of disorganization and instability in self-image, mood, behavior and close personal relationships. This can cause significant distress or impairment in friendships and work. A person with this disorder can often be bright and intelligent, and appear warm, friendly and competent. They sometimes can maintain this appearance for a number of years until their defense structure crumbles, usually around a stressful situation like the breakup of a romantic relationship or the death of a parent.

Symptoms
Relationships with others are intense but stormy and unstable with marked shifts of feelings and difficulties in maintaining intimate, close connections. The person may manipulate others and often has difficulty with trusting others. There is also emotional instability with marked and frequent shifts to an empty lonely depression or to irritability and anxiety. There may be unpredictable and impulsive behavior which might include excessive spending, promiscuity, gambling, drug or alcohol abuse, shoplifting, overeating or physically self-damaging actions such as suicide gestures. The person may show inappropriate and intense anger or rage with temper tantrums, constant brooding and resentment, feelings of deprivation, and a loss of control or fear of loss of control over angry feelings. There are also identity disturbances with confusion and uncertainty about self-identity, sexuality, life goals and values, career choices, friendships. There is a deep-seated feeling that one is flawed, defective, damaged or bad in some way, with a tendency to go to extremes in thinking, feeling or behavior. Under extreme stress or in severe cases there can be brief psychotic episodes with loss of contact with reality or bizarre behavior or symptoms. Even in less severe instances, there is often significant disruption of relationships and work performance. The depression which accompanies this disorder can cause much suffering and can lead to serious suicide attempts.

Etiology
It is a common disorder with estimates running as high as 10-14% of the general population. The frequency in women is two to three times greater than men. This may be related to genetic or hormonal influences. An association between this disorder and severe cases of premenstrual tension has been postulated. Women commonly suffer from depression more often than men. The increased frequency of borderline disorders among women may also be a consequence of the greater incidence of incestuous experiences during their childhood. This is believed to occur ten times more often in women than in men, with estimates running to up to one-fourth of all women. This chronic or periodic victimization and sometimes brutalization can later result in impaired relationships and mistrust of men and excessive preoccupation with sexuality, sexual promiscuity, inhibitions, deep-seated depression and a seriously damaged self-image. There may be an innate predisposition to this disorder in some people. Because of this there may ensue subsequent failures in development in the relationship between mother and infant particularly during the separation and identity-forming phases of childhood.

Treatment
Treatment includes psychotherapy which allows the patient to talk about both present difficulties and past experiences in the presence of an empathetic, accepting and non-judgemental therapist. The therapy needs to be structured, consistent and regular, with the patient encouraged to talk about his or her feelings rather than to discharge them in his or her usual self-defeating ways. Sometimes medications such as antidepressants, lithium carbonate, or antipsychotic medication are useful for certain patients or during certain times in the treatment of individual patients. Treatment of any alcohol or drug abuse problems is often mandatory if the therapy is to be able to continue. Brief hospitalization may sometimes be necessary during acutely stressful episodes or if suicide or other self-destructive behavior threatens to erupt. Hospitalization may provide a a temporary removal from external stress. Outpatient treatment is usually difficult and long-term - sometimes over a number of years. The goals of treatment could include increased self-awareness with greater impulse control and increased stability of relationships. A positive result would be in one's increased tolerance of anxiety. Therapy should help to alleviate psychotic or mood-disturbance symptoms and generally integrate the whole personality. With this increased awareness and capacity for self-observation and introspection, it is hoped the patient will be able to change the rigid patterns tragically set earlier in life and prevent the pattern from repeating itself in the next generational cycle.

Answer 6

it depends