I was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder about a year ago and have been in treatment since then, including various medications and regular doctor visits. I was just told by my psychologist today that I exhibit many strong characteristics of someone with borderline personality disorder, but he can't say for sure. He was reading through the diagnosis requirements to see if it fit someone else in my life (who does fit very strongly) and waited for me to make the oberservation that he was describing me in many ways... he said he had been waiting for me to say that.
Anyway- is it possible to have BPD at 17 yo? I have the perception that it is more of a later-in-life sort of thing, for some reason. And is it common in those with bipolar? I have been in DBT-type therapy for several months now, after little progress in CBT and absolute refusal to enter the high-risk youth DBT program in my area. Instead I got assigned some specialist guy who incorporates DBT, which was apparently created for those with BPD.
Weird stuff. It sounds to me that your doctor is exploring the possibility that a close family member, perhaps your mothers, might have borderline personality disorder. They say that bipolar disorder is genetic and comes from your mother/s side. Your doctor probably just wants to explore every avenue.
Glad to hear your feeling better. I wish I could help you with your horse questions but I have no knowledge of horses other than they are the most beautful animals in the world. My only qualification to respond to your question is that my wife was diagnosed as bi-polar when she was 27. However, that diagnosis was about 14 years late in coming as she had been exhibiting the same symptoms since the approx. age of 13 according to her family. She is 99% stable on lilthium which has been her medication for the last twenty years. It is my understanding that bi-polar disorder usually makes itself known in the early teenage years. The best advice I can give you is STOP taking all medications! See a therapist (if you don't have any friends)
Let go of any anger you have built up
Stop being so mad at the world
Basically forgive everyone
At any point ANYONE can be categorized as having bipolar its all about learning to appreciate life and controlling your feelings i don't know how common it is.
i have the same diagnosis though... the two together.
i believe it is very possible at 17. i first entered a treatment center when i was 16 for behavioral issues. so, i think it is very possible. It can happen at that age. Though my psychology professor says that bipolar is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed disorders. So if you are iffy about it, seek a second opinion. Can't hurt. you can have it even younger than that. my son was 13 yep, anything is possible...we're all human. things happen.
i'm 18, when my bipolar disorder type I developed, i was barely 15.
borderline is misdiagnosed as bipolar in many many cases...
but all you have to remember is this.
you NEED to be strong. NEVER give up on yourself,
set your goals and work your *** off to achieve them.
yeah sure...you gotta work 10 times as hard as other kids
in school....but you know, when you get this all straighened out and stabilized....you will noticed how mature you have grown to be. and you will be proud of the person you came.
'how we survive is what makes us who we are'
best quote by rise against. i have it in stencils on my wall.
pretty big too, so i can always remember that when i'm
getting into an episode.
keep your head held high...it is hard, but you will
be so happy you did. Yes it is very common to get it at 17yrs. It happens even at a younger age. My father was diagnosed at the age of 9 yrs. it didin't help his mother also had it and didn't take her meds which caused his to show at a younger age. It very common to have voices talking to you or thinking someone else is there and to talk to them. This is know to be true quote un quote true Bi-Polar. I've been diagnosed at the age of 14yr old. It is very common to have what you are saying. There is also different types and you can flip from Bi-Polar I Bi-Polar II and Bi-Polar III. BP sucks I would not wish it on my worst enemy. I don't want to candy coat it because it would not be fair to you. First do me a favor always take your meds if they don't work let your Doc know even if you don't see him for two more weeks call and tell him he might want to see you sooner just to keep you feeling good. Also even though you have meds you'll still have small what I call episodes some that will need to go to mental health floor to straighten them out or just out of the office. I had been able to stay out of the hospital for 5yrs then I had alot of triggers. All triggers are different people. This past yr it's been twice. Never let your doc tell you you'll never stop having hard episodes. Find a new one. it sounds though you've got a good one!
If you ever need to talk just email me. I'm always got a good listening ear. Yes, it is common for teens to have BPD. I will also say there can be behavior/symptom overlap between bi-polar and BPD - so sometimes you aren't sure if its the personality disorder or the mood disorder driving the behavior. BPD rarely travels alone. Co-morbid issues are typical and many BPD sufferers have a history of trauma or abuse.
The helpful thing that you need to know is that personality disorders are typically not considered curable by medication. Now, that does not mean medication does not have a place in the treatment plan. It just means that there isn't a clear cut physical abnormality in the brain which can be "fixed" with medication. You don't take meds to get rid of BPD.
For this reason you REALLY need to work hard with your therapist. Ask good questions. Get the help you need to help yourself find a way of life that will be safe and stable for you in the long run. You can also Google up numerous BPD forums which have a wealth of information for you and your family. It is possible to have BPD the day you are born. Personality disorders usually begin developing at a very young age and are associated with Dual-Diagnoses. For example, someone with Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder might be diagnosed with OCD, Depression and Anxiety FIRST, because those are all symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder.
BPD and Bi-Polar disorder are both characterized by highs and lows in your mood and behavior. In my opinion, you really either have one or the other. Both have very similar symtoms but the motivations behind why you have those symptoms are completely different. (i.e. Self-harm in BPD is to stop pain, done during a "low period" whereas in Bi-polar it is to feel invincible-done during a "high" period."). Both are awful things to suffer from and I do feel for you. They need to pick the best one and continue with treatment.
You and your psychologist need to keep in mind that anyone can sit down with the DSM-IV and think they have every mental disease listed (I'm guilty of that!) because most sound so similar. Instead of trying to find a label, it is important to make sure you are being treated for symtoms (i.e. depression, anxiety, mania) that you DO have rather than thinking about being treated for what you MIGHT have. These two disorders ( from a 24 year old female with both) are often misdiagnosed as eachother as one as something all together seperate.
BPD is not something that typically is an odler diagnosis. Infact in its criteria it typically begins obviously by late adolecence early adulthood and caries on in its most significanct intensity through out the 20's into 30's diminishing after especially with propper treatment.
Its important that you noted that your emotions are not (apparently) triggered by outside enviornment, That indicates bipolar. But both can, though infrequently, co exist. Sometimes it can be like splitting hairs to get a correct or dual diagnosis. It depends on the doctor your seeing your age and their perceptions as well as much as it does the facts.
The key differences that I am novicely aware of having both..
one you noted.
borderline is very interpersonally and enviornmentally triggered
bipolar does its own thing for a long long time reguardless
borderline fluctuates quickly usally lasting not more than hours to a day (though rapid cycling bipolar can do this as well)
bipolar (typically) lasts weeks or even years in one mood state reguardless of outside stimuli.
Borderline is charecteristed (usually) by constant feelings of emptiness and lack of identity not charecteristic of bipolar
...
though they are completely different disorders it is entirely possible to have both and you are the age to be really "showing off your bpd" if you do have it too or alone. They are so close that many people I try to explaine the difference in my own expirience wth them coexisting cant understand.
the best way Ive come to explain it in how it FEELS to have both should you, you will likely relate,
Its like a tv series as a whole with its own schema... drama humar ... and each episode with in that series exists with in the framework of the series but can be funny sarcastic drama ect...
The bipolar is the premis of the months and moths of the long running series of emotional tone. The bpd is the overlay evident rapid fire episode emotion from show to show with in and over the drama that is the tone of the show as a whole.
I hope this wasnt just more confusing.
Know you are in just the right age for it and it is just as if not more common than bipolar and often the two are misconstrued for eachother.
sometimes they coexist but not as often as one would think with how similar their symptoms are.
It is important that u get a difinitive diagnosis eaither way because treatment is different for each.
Bipolar is treated primarily with medicine like a diabetic takes insulin... the therapy is sort of just to observe but you could do fine without the over sight.
Bordeline is just the opposite that therapy is the primary tool for treatment and medicine is used to treat the symptoms as and if they arise like a cough drop treats a cold symptom. Somtimes these are anitpsychotics, antidepresents, mood stabilizers.. but only for symptoms as they are needed.
And a combination of these disorders would require a compassioante and compitant physician and a plan that meshes these together in a plan that is suited for you I won't tell you to question your bipolar diagnosis, as you already stated that you think it is accurate.
But I feel like I have to throw my two cents' in here...
Even the best of doctors, it seems, occasionally tend to look for zebras instead of horses. I have been through many, many psychologists and psychiatrists, including my area's best doctors that are award-laden, lecture cross country, teach at the state U, etc. In my teen years, they diagnosed me with depression, social anxiety disorder, bipolar type II, and several other fascinating things. Accordingly, they medicated me to fit their diagnosis for that month/year.
Twelve years later, I am finally feeling wonderful and content and calm...because I diagnosed MYSELF as having adult attention deficit disorder (inattentive type) and a nonverbal learning disorder. Let me clarify: after wasting years on medication and visiting with assorted doctors on a regular basis without relief ( I WAS depressed and anxious), I did a ton of homework all on my own with the help of the central library. I spent about 5 months researching and then I sought out a specialist that has decades of experience with adults with ADD, autism, etc.
I had him give me every diagnosic test in the book, and he wrote up a report to state his findings: ADD and a NVLD...that's all. Not a zebra at all, but a couple of pretty ordinary horses that, for whatever reason, other doctors never touched upon. Now I take a low dose of Adderall as needed and I am magically a human again.
The point of my long-winded answer is, the doctors' words aren't gospel. Don't ever, EVER be afraid to question anything and everything that they say, and always back it up with research of your own. If you don't feel like the shoe fits, then it probably doesn't. Just a thought...I hate to see someone waste years doped up and worrying about diagnoses needlessly like I did. These are commonly misdiagnosed disorders, and it is likely to be either one, or the other. View BPD, in section 15, at ezy build, below. I'd find out what type of therapy the psychologist uses. If Cognitive Behavio(u)ral Therapy, (very common) I'd provide a good book on DBT, such as: "I hate you: don't leave me!" try www.amazon.com Otherwise, seek a DBT professional. Review the posts of Opester, here, (I am, on many subjects) on BPD, since the opinion of a therapist experienced in such things is not to be dismissed lightly. My standard post follows: See bipolar disorder, at ezy build, below, in section 10, and take the quiz, if unsure, and if the results are positive, ensure you get an expert diagnosis from a mental health professional, not doctors, who are much better dealing with physical ailments, and don't diagnose complex disorders like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and borderline personality disorder often enough to develop any real expertise.
Bipolar disorder usually involves major mood swings, which occur without apparent cause, and often over many months, or a matter of years, rather than days, as with most people (unless rapid cycling). I'd take 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements daily, replacing 2 of them with cod liver oil supplements in the winter months, (or, as probably a better alternative to the 2 cod liver oil supplements: 1 teaspoonful of cod liver oil, with a little butter, to ensure its use; I take mine on sourdough rye bread, or toast, covered with fishpaste, and pepper, to mask the strong taste). Those people who receive adequate exposure to sunlight, daily, won't need the vitamin D from cod liver oil, but many people, particularly those in latitudes far from the equator, find this difficult, to achieve.
If you decide to use allopathy, (modern Western medicine) I recommend trying Lithium Carbonate, or Lithium Citrate. (regular tests are necessary, for these) before trying the other mood stabilisers, but if you aren't good at taking medications regularly, drinking adequate water, and keeping up your salt intake, something else, such as Lamictal, may suit you better. Check out "lithium" at http://www.drugs.com/, and http://crazymeds.us/ and always research medications first, (read, and keep the labels/information sheets) so you will be aware of the risks, and on the lookout for side effects. (Personally, if I wasn't bipolar type 1, and didn't experience hallucinations, or serious delusional states, I know I'd first try the orthomolecular, and Omega 3 fish oil supplements, vitamins, minerals; a herbal remedy, such as St. John's wort, and a mostly raw food diet, for several months. I'd aso eat in accordance with my "nutritional type". Enter that term in the searchbar at http://www.mercola.com/
If not considerably improved, after several months, consult your primary mental health care provider: you may be one of those who need medications to prevent this progressive illness from getting even worse. If bipolar type 1, an antipsychotic medication may also be needed. Everyone should take the Omega 3 supplements, or preferably "krill oil" for its other health benefits: use the searchbar at http://www.mercola.com/ . Some people refuse medication, using supplements, and a selective, mostly raw food diet (I do not recommended trying this, if bipolar 1, unless you aren't troubled by hallucinations, or delusional states).
Maintain the treatments for the depressive phase, in section 2, at: http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris Some topics in section 10 include: treating bipolar disorder with supplements, vitamins, minerals, and herbal remedies. As with all medications, there are risks, and the possibility of side effects, which is why I inform people of the alternatives, to see if they can cope sufficiently well, without resorting to medications. Don't use medications and supplements together, without medical advice, except for Omega 3, which is safe, anytime. It is not unknown for those discontinuing medication, and trying the alternative treatments, (which are not quick to work) to lose their jobs, because of unacceptable behavio(u)r, so I'd start 1 week before vacation, and closely monitor the situation, and use medical advice. |
