Differences in bipolar disorder, borderline personality, and mood swing

You may have heard of borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, and mood swings. All three have almost similar symptoms, where there are changes mood which is quite powerful. However, when examined more deeply, it turns out that there are fundamental differences between the three mental conditions. Let's look at the explanation below.

When viewed from the symptoms, where is the difference?

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) which is also often called borderline personality disorder is a condition in which a person has difficulty controlling his emotions. This causes them to have a change mood fast, insecure, and difficult to form social relationships. Those who have this personality type will have symptoms in the form of:

• Instability mood (a feeling of anxiety, discomfort that can last several hours and last several days)
• Feelings of being empty or empty
• Difficulty controlling emotions, often angry and often getting into fights
• Difficulty building good social relationships with others.
• Doing actions that may harm yourself, or thinking and planning actions that are harmful to yourself
• Have a fear of rejection or loneliness

Meanwhile, bipolar disorder is a complex type of disorder, causing changes mood which is very extreme. From a manic episode (very excited and active) to a depressive episode (very sad, hopeless, and not energized). If the patient is in a manic episode, the patient will experience the following symptoms:

• High self-confidence, even to the point of exaggeration
• Not sleeping, even being able to sleep only three hours a day
• Become very active in speaking
• The speech is very fast and difficult to follow
• Talking about different topics in one conversation (no continue)
• It's easy to get distracted
• These symptoms occur for at least a week and cause disruption to the patient's social life and daily life

If the patient is in a depressive episode, the patient will experience:

• Not excited
• Weight loss even if the patient is not on a diet
• Feel tired all day
• Feeling useless and hopeless
• There was a desire to commit suicide

Meanwhile, symptoms of mood swing often occur in women, especially near the age of menopause or at the time of menstruation (PMS). Mood swings cause emotional changes over a short period of time. For example, you are joking with a friend and laughing out loud, and then a few moments later you feel sad and want to cry. In addition, you also feel inadequate, tired, and have mixed emotions.

However, in addition to women, mood swings can also occur in men, known as irritable male syndrome (IMS). Where, a man will experience symptoms of anxiety, hypersensitivity, frustration, and irritability.

So what's the difference between BPD, bipolar disorder, and mood swings?

Bipolar disorder is often accompanied by psychotic disorders (the patient feels he is hearing or seeing something that is not there). When the patient is having a manic episode, usually the things that are heard will be in the form of praise for him. In a depressive episode one hear is insult or mockery of him. Meanwhile, in BPD, patients rarely experience psychotic symptoms.

When compared with bipolar disorder and BPD, it turns out that mood swings are often accompanied by physical symptoms. In women who are going through menopause, frequent complaints include feeling dry and stiff in the vagina due to hormonal changes (this can trigger pain during sex and increase the risk of infection), night sweats, feelings hot flashes (a sudden burning sensation that radiates to the upper body and face) and difficulty sleeping.

Whereas in women with PMS, complaints are in the form of abdominal discomfort, flatulence, constipation, acne, joint pain, breast pain, and nausea. In men, complaints are in the form of back pain, headache, abdominal cramps, and sexual dysfunction. Other than that, mood swing also can not cause psychotic disorders.

Is the cause the same?

Bipolar disorder and BPD are actually caused by many factors, including genetic factors, the presence of neurotransmitter disorders and imbalances in the brain, and the existence of lasting life events (such as the death of a loved one and divorce).

Those with BPD appear to have disturbances in the frontolimbic lobe (prefrontal deficits and hyperactivity in the limbic system). The existence of this deficit will also make a person unable to stem and control negative emotions. This disturbance will also lead to aggressiveness and instability mood .

Meanwhile, for those who have bipolar disorder, the location of the disorder is different. The disorder occurs in the prefrontal subcortical and anterior limbic parts of the brain.

In those who experience mood swings, it is generally caused by hormonal instability. In women, especially those who are going through menopause or are having PMS, the levels of the hormone progesterone will decrease and the hormone estrogen will be messed up.

In fact, the hormone progesterone plays a role in reducing anxiety, while the hormone estrogen greatly affects the production of the hormone serotonin which plays a role in regulation mood . This causes control mood which got messy.

In addition, this condition will also be triggered by stress levels or heavy workloads, fatigue and difficulty sleeping. The combination of hormonal instability and these triggers will cause mood swings. In men, hormonal changes and instability, such as decreased testosterone and decreased serotonin, also trigger STIs in men.

How to treat it?

Bipolar disorder can be treated according to the episode that is being experienced. If you are experiencing a manic phase, you can give lithium drugs, while if you are depressed you can give antidepressants.

Treatment for those who have BPD is more focused on psychotherapy and counseling. However, medication can also be given to treat other disorders such as anxiety, depression, or impulsive disorders.

To deal with mood swings, hormonal therapy with estrogen can help. This therapy is believed to be quite effective in dealing with complaints hot flashes and night sweats. In addition, you can also try taking SSRI class drugs to manage instability mood and trouble sleeping.