Mood changes in BPD can range from a few hours to a few days. Meanwhile, episodes of mania or depression can last several days to weeks. The emotions felt during mood swings are also different. People with BPD do not generally have manic episodes.
True manic symptoms (often with hallucinations) are the hallmark of Type 1 and these symptoms are not seen in the same way in BPD. Bipolar Type 2 is a more challenging diagnosis to differentiate from BPD, because the classic manic episode is absent.
People with bipolar disorder may have difficulty maintaining relationships because of the severity of their symptoms. Mania: People with bipolar disorder act impulsively when they are experiencing a period of mania. People with BPD also tend to act impulsively, but this behavior is unrelated to mania.
increased talkativeness; poor judgment; poor self-control and a tendency for high-risk behaviors, including drinking, drug use, sexual promiscuity or reckless spending; a false or exaggerated sense of self; overconfidence and excessive self-esteem.
It may or may not include depressive episodes. Mania lasts 1 week or longer. Alternating hypomanic (less severe mania in intensity) and depressive episodes of varying lengths. Hypomania lasts 4 days or longer.
Possible causes of hypomania or mania include: high levels of stress. changes in sleep patterns or lack of sleep. using recreational drugs or alcohol.
Delirious Mania (Stage III).
Delirious mania is the most severe of the three stages of mania. Its symptoms are similar to acute mania, with the addition of delirium. Delirium is temporary confusion and a decreased ability or inability to connect with reality.
Splitting is a psychological mechanism which allows the person to tolerate difficult and overwhelming emotions by seeing someone as either good or bad, idealised or devalued. This makes it easier to manage the emotions that they are feeling, which on the surface seem to be contradictory.
People with bipolar disorder tend to experience mania and depression, while people with BPD experience intense emotional pain and feelings of emptiness, desperation, anger, hopelessness, and loneliness. Time: In BPD, mood changes are often more short-lived. They may last for only a few hours at a time.
Symptoms of a manic episode
Having an abnormally high level of activity or energy. Feeling extremely happy or excited — even euphoric. Not sleeping or only getting a few hours of sleep but still feeling rested.
You might have hypomania and/or mania on their own or as part of some mental health problems – including bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder, postpartum psychosis or schizoaffective disorder. Some people find hypomania and mania enjoyable. Or you might find them very uncomfortable, distressing or unpleasant.
BPD Looks Like So Many Other Mental Health Conditions
In particular, there is evidence that BPD is commonly misdiagnosed as Bipolar Disorder, Type 2. One study showed that 40% of people who met criteria for BPD but not for bipolar disorder were nevertheless misdiagnosed with Bipolar Type 2.
Bipolar disorder is also more common than borderline personality disorder. An estimated 2.8 percent of population copes with bipolar disorder, with around 83 percent of these cases considered severe, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
Common warning signs of an impending manic episode include the following: Increased energy or a sense of restlessness. Decreased need for sleep. Rapid, pressured speech (cant stop talking)
During a manic or hypomanic episode, you might feel: Happy, joyful or a sense of wellbeing. Very excited or uncontrollably excited.
There's little or no self-awareness during mania, so you may not realize the consequences of your actions or how you have affected others until you come out of the episode. When you start to notice these symptoms, seek professional help before you slide fully into a manic episode.
Often, the borderline person is unaware of how they feel when their feelings surface, so they displace their feelings onto others as causing them. They may not realise that their feelings belong within them, so they think that their partner is responsible for hurting them and causing them to feel this way.
It is called 'borderline' because doctors previously thought that it was on the border between two different disorders: neurosis and psychosis. But these terms are no longer used to describe mental illness. It is sometimes called emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD).
A favorite person is the center of attention of an individual living with BPD. This means they consider this person as a trusted friend, confidant, and counselor all wrapped in one. Dr. Roberts notes that the person with BPD demonstrates an “anxious-preoccupied attachment style.”
As a manic episode ends, you'll start to feel less frenzied, be able to think more clearly, and get more sleep. You may have to face unpleasant consequences of your actions during the episode. Therapy, medication, and social support are important factors that can help you cope with the end of a manic episode.
Mania is an extreme feeling of well-being, energy and optimism—you feel on top of the world. These feelings, however, can be so intense that you can lose contact with reality.
Don't criticise or accuse, and stay calm and non-confrontational. Explain that you've noticed changes in their behaviour and why it concerns you, and ask if they've noticed it too. If this has happened before, gently remind them of this and explain the pattern you see.
Bipolar episodes decrease brain size, and possibly intelligence. Grey matter in the brains of people with bipolar disorder is destroyed with each manic or depressive episode.
Mania and hypomania are symptoms that can occur with bipolar disorder. They can also occur in people who don't have bipolar disorder.