retreating back from darkness: what insanity looks like

Now my fello BPD people, I have a little question to pose. Borderline is that magical little place that really hugs that line between psychosis and neurosis. But has anybody ever holidayed on the darkside? I am talking, hallucinations, paranoia etc. etc. Because I am kinda wondering if that is a BPD thing or just a ****** up anomoly

[BeeKeeper]

I have...and do more often than I ever tell anyone for fear of what they would think, say or do.  Besides BPD, I've also been diagnosed as Bipolar II.  In the Bipolar world there is also that thin line at times between reality and schizophrenia.

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder which is relatively common around the world and is found in both men and women. As a mental condition bipolar disorder is characterised by extreme and unusually long mood changes that swing between mania and depression. Both the moods are associated with specific symptoms which are largely changes in behaviour and emotions.

However a lot of the symptoms of bipolar disorder are those which are found in several other conditions also, including Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Due to this, many people tend to confuse BPD for bipolar disorder, when in fact they are two completely different conditions and there are many differences between BPD and
Bipolar disorder. Borderline Personality Disorder mainly involves distortions in cognition. This change in the cognition gives rise to most of the other symptoms of BPD. One of the primary symptoms of borderline personality disorder is self-injury. This symptom is also seen in Bipolar disorder, but the difference between BPD and bipolar disorder in this relation is that in bipolar disorder the self-injury is more the result of suicidal ideation (severe depression) or hallucinations or delusions (severe mania). Bipolar disorder is
basically mood changes, which is also a symptom of BPD. However the difference between BPD and bipolar disorder is that while mood episodes in bipolar disorder can last up to several weeks and even months, in BPD the mood change lasts for a couple of hours. Another difference between BPD and bipolar disorder is that while bipolar disorder requires a presence of both mania (or hypomania) and depressive episodes, BPD symptoms mainly involve symptoms of depression keeping in line with distorted cognitions and even if there is a positive feeling, its tepid at best. Also in those with bipolar disorder, the mood changes are spontaneous and can occur out of nowhere while in those with BPD, the mood shifts are generally due to an external stressor like an argument with a parent etc. One of the biggest difference between BPD and bipolar disorder is one symptom that isn't common - patients with BPD live with a profound fear of being abandonment.

People with bipolar disorder do not have this symptom. Another major difference between BPD and bipolar disorder is that psychotic symptoms (hallucinations and delusions) are very often exhibited in severe cases of bipolar disorder while these are absent in those with BPD. Instead people with BPD function largely from the belief that they are worthless and no good and will be abandoned. Differences between BPD
and bipolar disorder can also be seen in the treatment method. For bipolar disorder medication works best along with conventional therapies like behavioural, cognitive etc though they aren't always the best option. For BPD however, Dialectical behaviour therapy (which was specially designed for BPD) works best though medication is also
required.

Hope this might help.  Ask your doc about it.

[ciqala]

I ironically asked myself the opposite question, because I find it hard to accept, for every dual diagnosis I have - could it truly branch out from Borderline Personality Disorder in the first place. My therapist seems to think so. I am doubtful. My personality, when I was younger, took on different forms all the time, yet through a life of darkness i have found who I am and disregarded identity issues.
Sure I am possible I have a few other personality disorders however it is hard to tell, because every ******* illness relates and combines into each other, especially when you have something as complex as Borderline which covers many areas.
For the first time today i accepted Borderline, but I was never amused over how undermining everyone displays it to be. Who really cares anyway?
Because to me, I have long accepted I do have psychosis, I do have mild hallucinations, I am sporadic with Bi Polar, and ironically Clinical Depression, as well as multiple eating disorders. And so maybe Borderline covers all of those things. I am diagnosed 100% Borderline, all the symptoms of it apply to me, But it still does not cover many unstable mental symptoms in my life. What matters to me, are the illnesses that my personality disorder unleashes.
I don't just trip over close to psychosis, i trip over all the way. Yeah ive seen dancing skeletons. But delusions, are by far, worse than anything I have ever seen.