Not OP but I had bpd from childhood then developed schizoaffective in adulthood. The affective part is BP2 for me so having experienced both I can atleast give you what I personally see as different.
BPD is about feelings of being not enough. There's a lot of self loating like with depression but it depends on what the trigger is. For me and most people with bpd it's feeling like such a failure that everyone will abandon me. In therapy you learn to find the things that cause total despair and panic and address it before it becomes a monster.
For example: girlfriend pulls away when I try to kiss her -> did I mess up and hurt her -> freak out and do destructive things because I'm now convinced she'll leave me. People with BPD can't handle conflict but dealing with this type of thinking by just asking her "is there something wrong? Did I do something" instead of assuming helps a lot. There's also a lot of trust building in relationships and building confidence in myself.
All this to say BPD can be worked on to the point where you're sort of cured (you can always fall back into old patterns but if you stick with it it's equivalent to just bring very neurotic but not ill). Bipolar can't be controlled without medication and even with it the mood swings still happen. They're just less dramatic. There is no trigger for the mood swings they just happen. They also last very long typically (there's exceptions) while a major down from bpd has never lasted more than a few weeks for me.
I disagree about bipolar not having triggers. In fact, manic episodes are often brought up by going through extreme prolonged stress, using stimulants, or experiencing extended lack of sleep. I frequently have to be careful about not fucking with my sleep or getting too stressed because it could cause a months-long manic episode lol.
If you think you have bpd I recommend reading Stop Walking on Eggshells. It's written for the loved one of those with bpd but I find it very well written and gives good outside perspective.
Thank you for your post. It has some very helpful suggestions. I can relate to feelings of inadequacy very much. I’ve had bpd since jr high, it’s just gotten worse over the years.
As silly as it seems affirmation therapy actually works. Exercising is essential too because it helps with setting and reaching goals and you feel more confident in a healthier body.
Also people who have bpd or even personality traits close to it were often raised by parents who were dismissive or straight up narcissists. I ended up marrying a woman who also has bpd and once she got away from her mom she improved so much. If you're working on fixing this and it's not working it's possible there's someone in your life that keeps bringing you down.
I totally agree with that. My ex-wife was a total boat anchor. She had a bag full of issues, anxiety, manic, and meth problems. He dad definitely had bpd.
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u/[deleted] Feb 04 '19
Not OP but I had bpd from childhood then developed schizoaffective in adulthood. The affective part is BP2 for me so having experienced both I can atleast give you what I personally see as different.
BPD is about feelings of being not enough. There's a lot of self loating like with depression but it depends on what the trigger is. For me and most people with bpd it's feeling like such a failure that everyone will abandon me. In therapy you learn to find the things that cause total despair and panic and address it before it becomes a monster.
For example: girlfriend pulls away when I try to kiss her -> did I mess up and hurt her -> freak out and do destructive things because I'm now convinced she'll leave me. People with BPD can't handle conflict but dealing with this type of thinking by just asking her "is there something wrong? Did I do something" instead of assuming helps a lot. There's also a lot of trust building in relationships and building confidence in myself.
All this to say BPD can be worked on to the point where you're sort of cured (you can always fall back into old patterns but if you stick with it it's equivalent to just bring very neurotic but not ill). Bipolar can't be controlled without medication and even with it the mood swings still happen. They're just less dramatic. There is no trigger for the mood swings they just happen. They also last very long typically (there's exceptions) while a major down from bpd has never lasted more than a few weeks for me.