Borderline Personality Disorder vs Bipolar Disorder – How to tell the difference

Nearly two-thirds of individuals with bipolar disorder have been misdiagnosed at some point in their lives, and they visit nearly four physicians on average before receiving a definitive bipolar diagnosis. Perhaps the most troubling feature is the length of time it takes for a person to receive a bipolar diagnosis and appropriate treatment. It takes an average of 10 years from the time a person experiences their first bipolar mood episode until they receive bipolar disorder treatment. This treatment gap is the result of widespread misunderstandings about bipolar disorder and how it shows in episodes, as well as a general aversion to discussing a persistent psychological disorder, especially when symptoms are present in a young person.

DISCLAIMER: This video is for educational purposes. Please consult with a professional if you think you are worried about some of the signs you see in this video.

Writer: Ananya Sawarkar
Script Editor: Vanessa Tao
Script Manager: Kelly Soong
Animator: Zyan Méndez (IG @tomboiclub)
YouTube Manager: Cindy Cheong

References;

APA Dictionary of Psychology. Retrieved December 13, 2021, from
APA Dictionary of Psychology. Retrieved December 13, 2021, from
Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, PhD (February 18, 2020). Differences Between Bipolar Disorder and BPD. Retrieved December 13, 2021, from
Jamie Ludwig (October 4, 2019). What’s the Difference Between Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder? Retrieved December 13, 2021, from
Mary Jo DiLonardo (July 15, 2020). Borderline Personality Disorder vs. Bipolar Disorder. Retrieved December 13, 2021, from

0:00 Introduction
0:39 WHAT IS BIPOLAR DISORDER
1:12 WHAT IS BPD
2:11 QUALITY & DEGREE
3:00 TREATMENT DIFFERENCES
3:47 CAUSES OF SYMPTOMS
4:01 SLEEP CYCLES
4:13 RISK FACTORS

[Psychgo]

What did you enjoy about this topic? What video and in what format would you like us to do next?

[LostProxyNevermore]

I have BPD, my therapist considered the possibility of Bipolar disorder. As someone with BPD, the biggest distinction for me is my mood swings are not episodic, but more frequent and fluctuate a wider range of emotions. I’ve literally gone from being inconsolably angry to being hyperactive and bouncy within the span of 15 minutes

Edit: And definitely the fact that my mood swings are triggered by others 😭💀

[Jennifer-bwku]

Psilocybin saved my life. I was addicted to heroin for 15 years and after Psilocybin treatment I will be 3 years clean in September. I have zero cravings. This is something that truly needs to be more broadly used in addiction treatment.

[ComicalRealm]

"I’ve had BPD for many years and I will never forget the time my boyfriend told me “you have more mood swings in 30 minutes than I do in a whole week”
- Amber Heard

[gojiberry]

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder years ago, but this was a misdiagnosis. I have C-PTSD with depression and panic attacks. I have a couple traits of BPD but not enough for a diagnosis. I am on meds but trauma therapy and DBT classes have helped me more than anything. I think there is a lot of overlap among a lot of conditions.

[jieunjang]

Timestamp~ ⏳💮✨

1. Bipolar disorder 0:42
2. BPD 1:13
3. Quality & Degree 2:12
4. Treatment differences 3:00
5. Causes of symptoms 2:47
4. Risk factor 4:13


God bless everyone who’s suffering with any of those :) make sure you go to a therapist if available to check it out if it’s interfering with your daily life. Hope everything gets better <3

[khalilahd.]

I honestly never knew the extent of the difference between the two and I took many psych courses in college lol. Thank you for bringing awareness to conditions like this 🙏🏽

[sassylittleprophet]

I was originally diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but after reading up on BPD and telling my therapist that I identified with EVERY BPD symptom (except anger outbursts because I internalise my emotions), I was diagnosed with BPD, particularly "quiet BPD."

[AnnaRoth-pbxv]

I was diagnosed with BPD since my teenage. Spent my whole life fighting this disastrous disorder. Also suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Not until a friend recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Never thought I would be saying this about mushrooms.

[hayleyk]

Knowing that BPD can be passed through genetics makes me nervous. My mother has it and I was diagnosed with it as soon as I turned 18 and it makes me really think about having child because I don’t want them to have to live like this🙁.

[rikuumii]

People with both BPD and Bipolar really have it bad and i feel so much for them. You are incredibly strong if you go through all that.

[deadinside]

As someone who was misdiagnosed with bipolar depression when I had BPD this video is very informational I send some of these to my mom to help her understand me better

[cassrose]

My new psychiatrist diagnosed me with borderline personality and I was very relieved to hear a name for what I feel. I am hypersensitive and have always had extremely intense emotions more than anyone I know. I freak out really bad over anything that goes wrong. Like the smallest thing causes me to have an emotional breakdown. I told my counselor and good friend what I was diagnosed with and they both say there is no way you have that. But my mom and boyfriend think I am borderline. I truly think I do bc I have almost all the things that go along with borderline. It really pisses me off that some people tell me I have it and others say I don't. so now I'm confused and don't know who is right and what is wrong with me.

[ASMinor]

I have BPD, am an avid #MentalHealthAwareness advocate and spoken word performer, and I love this so much. I travel the country trying to bring that awareness on stages, in classrooms, hospitals, and on my YouTube channel, so I get excited when I see other advocates.

[Raghav-txym]

0:40 Bipolar disorder.
1:12 BPD.
2:12 Quality and degree.
2:45 Causes and symptoms.
3:00 Treatment differences.
4:12 Risk factors.

[calebc]

This video came at the perfect time as I feel I could be suffering from either disorder, this video is very helpful!

[derekbacharach]

I used to work in research for bipolar d/o in a NYC hospital 20 years ago. One of my jobs was to train psychiatrists both attending and residential on how to identify symptoms. I would test them by having them watch a clinical interview and they would have to give a diagnosis. Most of them failed at first and I would have to educate them on what they missed:
If a person didn't sleep all night and is manic, they would say they didn't feel they needed sleep and would not feel sleep deprived.
- To qualify as manic, they also would have to do something that put themselves at risk either financially, legally or sexually without caring about the consequences
- Most doctors got the time duration wrong for mania. It does not last for a few hours. It goes for days, sometimes weeks. This determines whether a person has BP 1 or 2. If a person hears voices, this is psychosis and they are automatically BP 1 regardless of the duration of mania.
Another symptom not mentioned in the video is rapid speech as well as grandiosity which can escalate into delusions (ie, convinced they're Jesus).

[libraric]

I'm diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder but I'm starting to think I have both (after a lot of consideration and how I want to talk to a psych about it) I get the long mood states that bounce betweem depression, mania, and mixed states. But I also get incredibly upset after an argument/feeling slighted with people close to me and feel emotiinally heightened after it for hours or days, where I'll just temporarily despise or hate them. I also barely/never experience a baseline mood state.

[SaaabriinaNiiaang]

I was diagnosed a few years ago and many doctors and psychiatrists were always jugling btw these two and i was always researching bpd and bd and couldn't unferstand the dificulty to "choose" one or the other and THIS VIDEO EXPLAINS SO MUCH AND IS VERY ACCURATE!!

[Insecureasshoe.]

I always learn a high amount of new things love your vids