All along I have been assuming my husband is undiagnosed borderline, but after a visit with my own shrink recently she made the suggestion that he might be bipolar. I know without seeing him she cannot fairly make a diagnosis, but the very idea scares me... .and I don't exactly know how this difference would need to change in my current dealings with him. I understand they are both trouble, but from what she says bipolar is significantly more dangerous to all involved. Does anyone here have any insight? I would really appreciate some... .Thanks... .
Bipolar is a mood disorder, generally longer mood swings, not always related to obvious triggers. It is more treatable with medications. BPD is a personality disorder and not directly treated with medications. Mood and emotion swings can happen suddenly in response to circumstantial triggers.
This meanswith BPD you can be the source of BPD triggers more readily. Which also means you can change you more so that you can limit the effect on you. With bipolar you are less of a trigger so there is less you can personally do to affect it.
As far as danger is concerned I would have thought BPD would be the worse as the reactions can come out of nowhere very quickly without warning. Though that is probably generalizing too much.
Often various disorders can be overlapping. It is not always cut and dry
