{"id":23294,"date":"2021-03-30T17:00:14","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T21:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=23294"},"modified":"2023-04-19T16:17:26","modified_gmt":"2023-04-19T20:17:26","slug":"borderline-personality-disorder-vs-bipolar-disorder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/borderline-personality-disorder-vs-bipolar-disorder\/","title":{"rendered":"Borderline personality disorder vs. bipolar disorder: What’s the difference? Can you have both?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Borderline personality disorder vs. bipolar disorder causes<\/a> | Prevalence<\/a> | Symptoms<\/a> | Diagnosis<\/a> | Treatments<\/a> | Risk factors<\/a> | Prevention<\/a> | When to see a doctor<\/a> | FAQs<\/a> | Resources<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a personality disorder that causes people to have unstable moods, behaviors, and relationships. Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that causes mood swings and changes in energy levels. These two conditions have similarities that can make it difficult to tell them apart. Let\u2019s take a look at the key differences between borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder to better understand them and how they affect people.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Causes<\/span><\/h2>\n

Borderline personality disorder<\/span><\/h3>\n

Borderline personality disorder is a mental illness that causes people to have varying moods, behaviors, self-image, and impulse control. Doctors and researchers don\u2019t fully understand what causes BPD, but it\u2019s thought to be a combination of a family history of the disorder, environmental factors like traumatic life events (abuse, neglect, or abandonment, especially during childhood), differences in brain structure, and an imbalance of brain chemicals. This imbalance can lead to abnormal levels of chemical messengers called neurotransmitters, which send signals between brain cells.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bipolar disorder<\/span><\/h3>\n

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder that causes people to shift between manic phases (an overly excited and elevated mood) and depressive phases (feelings of sadness and hopelessness). Just like with BPD, doctors and researchers don\u2019t fully understand what causes someone to develop bipolar disorder. Instead, it\u2019s believed to be caused by many different factors. There is a lot of research that suggests that people with bipolar disorder have physical changes in their brains that affect how they behave. For example, having higher or lower levels of neurotransmitters in the brain causes a chemical imbalance and ultimately contributes to the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Having a family history of bipolar disorder may also contribute to someone getting it later in life, but it does not mean that they will develop it for sure.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Borderline personality disorder vs. bipolar disorder causes<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

Borderline personality disorder<\/strong><\/td>\nBipolar disorder<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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  • Genetics\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Changes in brain structure<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Imbalanced brain chemicals and levels of neurotransmitters<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Traumatic life events like abuse, neglect, and abandonment during childhood<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
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