Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) vs Bipolar Disorder

What is Borderline Personality Disorder?

Borderline Personality Disorder is a condition characterized by intense and continuous shifts in mood, behaviours, and self-image. People with BPD have a severe fear of abandonment, unstable and/or unhealthy interpersonal relationships, unpredictable & unstable mood patterns, and exhibit impulsive and unsafe behaviours.

Two very common markers of BPD are:

impulsive/ self-destructive behaviours such as substance ab/misuse, unsafe sexual practices, excessive spending, self-harm, etc, and a severe difficulty or even inability to regulate emotions in a healthy manner.

One with BPD may develop a ‘Favourite Person,’ or someone they have a strong attachment to. They go through cycles of idealisation and devaluation with this person, believing that they are above everyone and treating them as such, and then losing this obsession with them for no particular reason. This person may be a family member, a friend, or a romantic partner. Separation from their Favourite Person may cause a borderline severe stress and anxiety, and trigger negative emotions.

There is no confirmed cause of it, but experts have linked genetic, environmental, and neurological factors to the development of Borderline Personality Disorder.

What is Bipolar Disorder?

Bipolar Disorder is identified by episodes of high energy followed by depressive episodes. A change in mood is much more intense in a bipolar person than a regular person, as they may experience hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, and in extreme cases, psychosis. These moods are difficult to predict and control, and can debilitate one’s functioning.

There are two broad classifications of bipolar disorder: I and II.

People with Bipolar I are predominantly manic and have less severe depressive episodes; and people with Bipolar II experience longer, more intense episodes of depression followed by hypomania.

Mania is a period lasting more than a week of high adrenaline, impaired judgement, insomnia, increased libido, boosts of self-esteem, etc, and unjustified grandiose and/or risky behaviour, it interferes with one’s day to day life and affects them negatively. Hypomania is a mild manic episode that may last a few days and is often mistaken for a good mood, it does not interfere in one’s life and may be productive.

If a hypo/manic or depressive episode is very intense, the person may experience psychosis, and act inappropriately because of it. Bipolar Disorder is largely genetically disposed, but episodes can be triggered by (a series of) traumatic events.

Here is a basic list of differences to help you better understand the nuances between the two.

Borderline Personality Disorder	Bipolar Disorder
It is a Personality Disorder: affects how one interacts and relates to people around them, along with their ability to process emotions. (Cluster B Type.)	It is a Mood Disorder: solely affects one's pattern of thinking and emotion.
Mental instability regardless of mood.	Periods of stability occur outside of manic and depressive episodes.
Moods are easily triggered without reason, difficult to predict.	Recurring cycles of hypo/mania and depression, less impacted by outside situations.
Rooted more in psychological characteristics of an individual, individual symptoms may be controlled with medication, requiring extensive and different methods of therapy.	Rooted in biology of the nervous system, therefore more responsive to conventional medicine and therapy.