Take a look at this and see if this fits your daughter more than bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder does not make one behave poorly if it exists alone. But borderline personality disorder often co-exists with bipolar or is misdiagnosed as bipolar because of the intense mood switches, which can happen minute to minute. Unless they get therapy and commit to working on this emotional dysregulation disorder in therapies such as dialectal behavioral, they are unpleasant, moody, can be violent and crave love yet repel it. Take a look. If it is borderline, there is a lot of support for those who love somebody who has it. These are usually women who can't seem to embrace "calm" and who act out badly even as adults and tend to make very self-destructive decisions...and blame others for those decisions. They are almost impossible to reason with when upset. And they are capable of revengle-like behavior, which really isn't a part of bipolar.
I had borderline traits and have been diagnosed with bipolar. In my case, I got extensive help because I didn't like being borderline and, man, it has helped, but, as always, you have to WANT help to have it work. Also, I do not have bipolar disorder. Misdiagnosis. I do have mood problems though. Without medication, I get suicidally depressed so I don't dare go off of my medication. Here is something for you to look at and to think over.
The following is the content to a link that talks about what borderline personality is. I think a lot of our adult children who are diagnosed with mood disorders, may REALLY have a mood disorder, but some also seem to have borderline, which is really hard to handle. Ok, everything else in this post is from the page I copied and pasted.
SYNOPSIS
Diagnostic Features
Borderline (Emotionally Unstable) Personality Disorder is a condition characterized by impulsive actions, rapidly shifting moods, and chaotic relationships. The individual usually goes from one emotional crisis to another. Often there is dependency, separation anxiety, unstable self-image, chronic feelings of emptiness, and threats of self-harm (suicide or self-mutilation).
Individuals with Borderline (Emotionally Unstable) Personality Disorder grow up being
emotionally unstable,
hostile and
impulsive. The core features of this disorder are: (1)
negative emotions (
emotional lability, anxiety, separation insecurity, depression, suicidal behavior), (2)
antagonism (
hostility), and (3)
disinhibition (
impulsivity, risk taking). This disorder is only diagnosed if: (1) it begins no later than early adulthood, (2) these behaviors occur at home, work, and in the community, and (3) these behaviors lead to clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. This disorder should not be diagnosed if its symptoms can be better explained as due to another mental disorder, Substance Use Disorder, or another medical condition (e.g., head trauma).
Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder have intense, unstable close relationships, which alternate between extremes of idealization and devaluation. They often make frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment. They have marked
negative emotions. They have frequent and intense experiences of high levels of a wide range of negative emotions (e.g., anxiety, depression, guilt/shame, worry).
Antagonism: like many young teenagers, adults with this disorder have highly changeable moods and intense anger. Characteristically, these intense emotional episodes last only a few hours and only rarely more than a few days. Self harm and repeated, impulsive suicide attempts are seen in the more severely ill.
Negative Emotion
- Emotions spiral out of control, leading to extremes of anxiety, sadness, rage, etc.
- Has extreme reactions to perceived slights or criticism (e.g. may react with rage, humiliation, etc.).
- Expresses emotion in exaggerated and theatrical ways.
- Emotions change rapidly and unpredictably.
- Feels unhappy, depressed, or despondent.
Antagonism
- Intense anger, out of proportion to the situation at hand (e.g. has rage episodes).
- Often angry or hostile.
Disinhibition
- Need for stimulation/proneness to boredom
- Impulsivity
- Promiscuous sexual behavior
- Irresponsibility
Borderline Personality Disorder is quite different from Bipolar I Disorder. The mood swings seen in Borderline Personality Disorder seldom last more than one day. Mood swings in Bipolar I Disorder last much longer. Borderline Personality Disorder doesn't exhibit the
prolonged episodes of decreased need for sleep, hyperactivity, pressured speech, reckless over-involvement, and grandiosity that are characteristic of Bipolar I Disorder.
Like all personality disorders, Borderline Personality Disorder is a deeply ingrained and enduring behaviour pattern, manifesting as an inflexible response to a broad range of personal and social situations. This behavior represents an extreme or significant deviation from the way in which the average individual in a given culture relates to others. This behaviour pattern tends to be stable. It causes significant distress/disability.
Course
The course of Borderline Personality Disorder is quite variable. The most common pattern is one of chronic instability in early adulthood. This disorder is usually worse in the young-adult years and it gradually decreases with age. During their 30s and 40s, the majority of individuals with this disorder attain greater stability in their relationships and vocational functioning.
Complications
Completed suicide occurs in 8%-10% of individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder. Self-mutilation (e.g., cutting or burning), suicide threats and attempts are very common. Recurrent job losses, interrupted education, and broken marriages are common.
Comorbidity
Personality disorders are an overlooked and underappreciated source of psychiatric morbidity.
Comorbid personality disorders may, in fact, account for much of the morbidity attributed to axis I disorders in research and clinical practice. "
High percentages of patients with schizotypal (98.8%), borderline (98.3%), avoidant (96.2%), and obsessive-compulsive (87.6%) personality disorder and major depressive disorder (92.8%) exhibited moderate (or worse) impairment or poor (or worse) functioning in at least one area."
Some other disorders frequently occur with this disorder.
Non-Personality Disorders
Bipolar and Related Disorders:
- Bipolar I or II disorder; cyclothymic disorder
Depressive Disorders:
- Major depressive disorder; persistent depressive disorder (dysthmia); substance/medication-induced depressive disorder
Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders:
- Posttraumatic stress disorder
Feeding and Eating Disorders:Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders:Neurocognitive Disorders:
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Personality Disorders
Antagonistic Cluster:
- Histrionic, narcissistic, and antisocial personality disorders
Note: Antisocial, narcissistic, borderline, and histrionic personality disorders are all closely related since they all share the same core feature of antagonism. This core feature is an exaggerated sense of self-importance, insensitivity towards the feelings and needs of others, and callous exploitation of others. These antagonistic behaviors put the individual at odds with other people. If an individual has one of these antagonistic personality disorders, they are very likely to have another.
Associated Laboratory Findings
No laboratory test has been found to be diagnostic of this disorder.
Prevalence
The prevalence of Borderline Personality Disorder is about 1.6% of the general po
