Yesterday, I told you about my bipolar disorder diagnosis. Before I was even diagnosed with that (a year before), I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.
The truth is, 20% (if not more) of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder type 2 are also diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. That’s a lot. Most of the people I have met have a diagnosis of both, which feels like more to me.
This is undoubtedly the “evil twin”. Alone, each is extremely life altering. Together it is extremely difficult to break apart to manage and also deal with the acceleration of symptoms.
Bipolar disorder is a chemical disorder in the brain. It is treated with medication (usually mood stabilizers). Borderline personality disorder has no medication to treat it. It is brought on by childhood trauma or neglect. Therapy is all that can help it.
These different treatments are exactly why it is hard to pinpoint the origin of the symptom! It is a whirlwind in your life trying to get it all right. It can take YEARS to find the right medication “cocktail” to help each individual.
We were trying mood stabilizers for my bipolar because, let me tell you, there is moodiness. It hits in the spur of the moment and then twenty minutes later it’s gone. The funny thing is THAT is the exact description I gave my husband from my past, thinking I was awesome for letting go so easily. Little did I know this was NOT “normal”. There is no “cocktail” for me yet. I’ve been struggling for 18 months or more to get it right. I have a huge sensitivity to many medications so it seems each time I try one there’s a reaction. I even had a genetic test done to determine which meds work best for me yet it’s not helping in all ways.
I am also doing therapy with a psychologist twice a week. She has proven to be someone who truly gets me and how I work. I didn’t think that would be possible. Sometimes it is hard for me to put into practice the things we discuss because my brain thinks too much and over processes everything. I make everything so difficult. It’s a pain.
The following shows the similarities between the two.
As you can see, it’s some pretty major symptoms and I can say that I have experienced pretty much EVERY SINGLE ONE. It is horrible and I have been in shock and slow-accepting of it all. I just can’t wrap my brain around it all. I hope this paints a much better picture of me and my life with the “evil twins”.
Roses are Red 