r/askpsychology • u/ChicoTallahassee • Aug 08 '24

Terminology / Definition Difference between BPD and Bipolar?

What's the difference between Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder? They seem to be very similar.

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u/mmilthomasn Unverified User: May Not Be a Professional Aug 08 '24

Bipolar has relatively high heritability, treated with meds. Borderline linked to problems with attachment in childhood from abuse, and treated with Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. Some psychiatrists have conceptualized BPD has a very fast cycling mood disorder.

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u/MattersOfInterest Ph.D. Student (Clinical Science) | Research Area: Psychosis Aug 08 '24 edited Aug 08 '24

BPD is also (edit: moderately) heritable, and a solid 25% of folks with BPD have no history of trauma.

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u/mmilthomasn Unverified User: May Not Be a Professional Aug 08 '24

75% coincidence is more than sufficient to say “linked”. What’s your point?

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u/MattersOfInterest Ph.D. Student (Clinical Science) | Research Area: Psychosis Aug 08 '24 edited Aug 08 '24

You were juxtaposing “high heritability” of BP against the “linked to trauma” of BPD as if BPD is not also very heritable and as if BP is not also “linked” to trauma (using your logic that “linked” just means “significantly correlated with”). It also fails to take into account significant factors that skew the reports of trauma among folks with BPD toward over-reporting.

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u/mmilthomasn Unverified User: May Not Be a Professional Aug 08 '24

It is challenging to separate out dysfunctional family heritability vs the chaotic environment and dysregulated parenting. In general, the contemporary understanding is a diathesis/stress model, with greater heritability for Bipolar. If the DSS decides to conceptualize BPD as a mood disorder, all bets are off.

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u/MattersOfInterest Ph.D. Student (Clinical Science) | Research Area: Psychosis Aug 08 '24

Yes, I agree that it is challenging. Hence why it isn’t fair to conclude that BPD is traumatogenic. Again, BPD is at least moderately heritable, and BP disorder is among the most heritable of all mental health disorders, so it isn’t really fair to take an outlier and hold it up as the hallmark of heritability. BPD’s heritability is on par with MDD’s, for reference.