Borderline personality disorder and bipolar are often mistaken as being the same thing. They are also often misdiagnosed, one for the other. This is because the symptoms for both illnesses are startlingly similar.
Borderline personality disorder is actually less common and less known than bipolar. Borderline personality disorder accounts for only about twenty percent of hospitalizations for mental illness each year, while bipolar accounts for about fifty percent of hospitalizations. Borderline personality disorder is most common in young women, whereas bipolar is equally common in both men and women, as well as all age groups.
Borderline personality disorder and bipolar patients both experience mood swings that may involve violent outbursts, depression, or anxiety. However, while bipolar patients typically cycle through these moods over a period of weeks or months, borderline personality disorder patients may have bursts of these moods lasting only a few hours or a day.
Borderline personality disorder patients also undergo periods of having no idea who they are in terms of personality, likes, dislikes, and preferences. They may change long term goals frequently, and have trouble sticking to any one activity. Acting with impulsiveness, going on major unaffordable shopping sprees, excessive eating, or engaging in risky sexual relationships can also be experienced. These are also symptoms of mania in bipolar patients.
Borderline personality disorder patients may also undergo periods of worthlessness, feeling mistreated or misunderstood, and emptiness. These symptoms coincide with symptoms of depression in bipolar patients.
Another symptom of borderline personality disorder involves how they deal with relationships. Relationships are often viewed in extremes. Either the patient is totally in love or hates with a passion. A patient may be completely in love one minute, then hate someone totally due to a small conflict or situation. Fears of abandonment often lead to suicide threats, rejection, and depression in the patient. These relationship issues can also be found in bipolar patients.
Treatments of borderline personality disorder and bipolar are also similar. A combination of therapy and medication is typically preferred by the psychiatrist. Cognitive behavioral therapy, while successfully implemented with bipolar patients, was originally developed for use with borderline personality disorder. Various medications can also be prescribed for either mental illness with successful results.
Like bipolar disorder, little is known about the actual causes of borderline personality disorder. There is a lot of controversy about genetics versus environment in this area. However, it appears through research that, while bipolar is definitely hereditary and biological in nature, borderline personality disorder is more likely to be a result of environment and situational stimuli.
As you can see, many similarities exist between bipolar and borderline personality disorder. It can often be quite difficult to distinguish one illness from the other, even for doctors and psychologists. If you suffer any of the symptoms discussed here, it is important to obtain the assistance and diagnosis of a licensed professional for appropriate diagnosis and treatment of your symptoms. You should never attempt self diagnosis and treatment for symptoms such as those associated with bipolar and borderline personality disorder without the help of a psychiatrist or psychologist. Doing so may cause your symptoms to worsen, and make treatment less successful in the future.
To learn more, check out Bipolar Disabilities Guide.
There are many ways to stop panic attack. If you are anxious about how you could put an end to such an embarrassing and alarming situation, it would be appropriate if you would be reminded that indeed, you could do something to alleviate the disadvantages and setbacks you encounter by the inconvenient disorder. Stop panic attack and have and live a more normal life.
If you are aiming to put an end to panic attack, you should do the necessary measures right away. Stop panic attack and live your life fully. If you are anxious and worrisome that you know nothing about the endeavor, read on and discover practical ways on how you could stop panic attack.
A panic attack is borne mentally. In some form, the situation can be classified as a form of mental disorder. But do not get it wrong. A panic attack is not at all leading and directly related to insanity. A patient r sufferer from a panic attack may seem like he or she is going crazy and uncontrollable. Understand that a panic attack is a product of too much anxiety and fear taking over one’s overall personality. Stop panic attack by observing the following.
Control yourself
First, if you suspect you are having an episode of panic attack, hold control of yourself. Paranoia and extreme fear is part of the manifestations of panic attack. In most cases, patients feel breathless, restless and really tense. At its worse, panic attack often induces a feeling as if death is near. Thus, there is extreme and further fear. In such cases, overall relaxation and self assurance would be necessary. Stop panic attack from further doing harm to yourself by relaxing at the onset of an attack. Meditate, practice quietness and simply relax.
A panic attack may last a few minutes to as long as several hours. To ensure yourself, it would help if you would seek medical and expert help. Doing so is not just ensuring safety but is also psychologically giving assurance that everything will be alright. Often, panic attack patients mistake their attacks for something else, probably a heart attack. This suspicion might further affect and worsen the condition. If an expert or doctor would give assurance that the condition is only panic attack, the patient may be more assured that everything is controllable.
Medications and therapies
There are also certain prescribed medications that will instantly prompt treatment. You could abruptly stop panic attack by taking in prescribed medicines, usually depressants, like serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazpines and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Such depressants help lower the rapid heart beat that is greatly contributing to further onset and possible setbacks of panic attacks.
Also, stop panic attacks by avoiding alcohol, illicit drugs and most especially coffee, especially when there is already an onset of the episode. Some people commit the error of taking in such substances at the appearance of initial symptoms of panic attack, wrongly thinking that hot coffee, for example, can relax and warmth the system. Well, now you know the opposite happens.
Another good way to stop panic attack is by taking psychotherapy. Because the number of panic attack cases is rapidly rising all over the world, there are many psychologists and psychiatrists who are practicing activities to control and curtail panic attacks. Stop panic attack by subjecting yourself from such therapies, which have already been proven to be very helpful.
Most of all, the most effective means to stop panic attack is by taking a better grasp and control of yourself. If you could control your fears and anxieties, you are most likely to stop panic attack alone. Remember that medications and therapies would render futile if you would not seek to help yourself most of all.
For more help on how to stop panic attacks for good, visit Stop Panic Attacks Today!
What is agoraphobia? Personality factors are thought to play a bigger role in the formation of agoraphobia than in other types of anxiety disorders. In this article, we will talk about some personality traits and characteristics that are found more frequently in those who suffer from anxiety and panic than in those who don’t. The person who has more of these traits, or most, or even all of them, is far more likely to experience agoraphobia than one who shows only a few of them. Because other variables contribute to anxiety issues as well, simply possessing these kinds of personality traits is not a 100% guarantee that you will develop an anxiety disorder. The other good news is that many of these traits are changeable. Most of the them are based on distorted negative thinking patterns, which are usually learned in childhood. It is certainly possible to re-program these thinking habits by replacing them with new and healthier ways of relating to, and being in the world. Some personality factors may serve you well, and really only need to be toned down a bit. When exaggerated, though, they interfere with your functioning, and contribute to anxiety. You can learn to change any of these traits that are contributing to your anxiety. By reading through them and determining which ones apply to you, you have taken the first step!
Factor ONE: NEED TO BE PERFECT — “I must never fail or make a mistake. ” You really do focus on never making a mistake. You believe that one must never fail at anything. You believe that others will judge you as ruthlessly as you judge yourself. And you can be ruthless! Expectations of yourself are unrealistically high. If you fall short of the mark, you beat yourself up. You judge your success in all or nothing terms, and focus on mistakes and negatives rather than seeing the bigger picture. Your self worth tends to be excessively related to achievement, in many areas, for eg. intelligence, work success, status, attractiveness, etc.
Factor TWO: HIGH NEED FOR APPROVAL/SENSITIVITY — “I must have everyone approve of me and like me.” You dread rejection from others because you depend on them for your self image. You are very sensitive to the feelings of others to the point that you can’t feel happy or content unless everyone likes or loves you. Without the approval of others, you don’t feel like a valid person. You have a strong tendency to be a “people pleaser”, ie. feel it is your duty to keep those in your life happy, even if you make yourself miserable in the process. You suppress your feelings that you fear may not be approved of by others, such as anger, jealousy, sadness, etc. You hide your vulnerabilities/flaws from others, fearing if they knew, they wouldn’t respect or like you. You feel extremely threatened by criticism from others, and avoid conflict for fear of rejection from them.
Factor THREE: HIGHLY CREATIVE & FREE THINKING — “I have a strong imagination.” You are great at imagining things that may happen in the future, and you can imagine in great detail. Being creative is generally a positive trait, but it also provides you with the ability to think of scary things, dreaded things, and anticipate what could go wrong in every situation. As you can see, too much of this is not a good thing, and can lead to anticipatory anxiety if it is excessive.
Factor FOUR: HIGH NEED TO BE IN CONTROL — “I must always remain calm and I need things to be predictable.” You like to know what is going to happen ahead of time, to be in control of situations. Unexpected changes are very uncomfortable, and may cause anxiety. In order to control situations, and future events, you may have a tendency to want to control others as well. You dislike it when people don’t behave, feel or think the way that you expect them to. Losing control personally is also very distressing to you; loss of composure is seen as weakness. This can result in suppressing feelings that “shouldn’t” be felt because they might cause loss of control. Eg. Believing that anger might lead to acting out aggressively, sadness might lead to uncontrollable crying, etc.
Factor FIVE: INFLEXIBLE THINKING: “You must do it my way.” Trouble with seeing the gray areas in life, in situations, and in ways of doing things. You feel distress when things are not done in the “right” way. This way of viewing the world is commonly called “black or white”, or “all or nothing” thinking. You likely have many rules that you live by, which help you control things, and you have lots of “shoulds”, “have to’s” and “can’ts” in your daily thoughts.
As stated before, some of these personality factors may serve you well if you can learn to change the negative thinking that turns these personality factors into negatives that can interfere with your ability to be a happy and calm person.
Karen Novak, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist with over 11 years of psychotherapy experience. She has specialized in the areas of anxiety, panic disorders, agoraphobia, and depressive disorders, and has conducted extensive psychotherapy and psychological assessments with young adults, older adults, seniors, and nursing home residents.
Dr. Novak is also the co-founder of CalmConnection.com, a website to help sufferers of agoraphobia, panic attacks, and anxiety disorders.
