Can You Have Bipolar Disorder + Borderline Personality? |Here’s Why It Matters 

You’re one of the few who haven’t gave up on us

I think we should really look into how mental illnesses affect a person when combined together. It seems to change them significantly.

Im borderpolar and Its like Living in a hell. I wish I only had my bipolar disorder. Living with Bought disorder makes it impossible to have close relations. People Think you are crazy and the never know What to expect from you. And the thing you a longing most for, love and emotionel close relationships, end up in kaos.

I have bipolar 2 and BPD, along with some other things. While it is hard, know that you're not alone, a lot of people go through it. I've gotten so so so much better with time, medication, therapy, journaling, exercise and doing everything in my power to have a better quality of life, it truly gets better, I mean, you learn to better deal with it so it starts to lose power over you. While it never really goes away, you're not doomed to an unhappy life, you can be a happy, functional being while battling with these disorders. I'm not saying it's easy, it is definitely not, I've been through living hell, even being rejected by health care professionals, until I decided this would not be my life. I have my moments, of course. I have really hard times, but I also have really good times, and those are the ones I focus on, the ones that are worth living for. Never give up. You're not alone, you're not doomed, you're not en evil, crazy, manipulator that has no feelings even if people say that to you. I see you, keep going 💙

Just gotta day- you have the best hair on RU-vid! It’s gorgeous, and I’m highkey jealous.

As a fellow border/polar, I have had to come to the realization that I have to take these ailments as seriously as someone who is struggling with heart issues. It is exhausting, having to be constantly aware of triggers, harms, foods I eat, people I'm around because all of the individual things add up and have a total effect on my mind and how easily my will to live is defeated. As a survivor if more attempts than I care to say, I literally have had to come to the point if realizing every day of my life is a battle to keep me alive and help my children to avoid the pitfalls that have ensnared me many times simply because of my own ignorance.

Thank you so much for this! I’ve been diagnosed as bipolar by psychiatrists and told I don’t have bpd, but went to the hospital multiple times and the psychiatrists diagnosed me as borderline. It’s been frustrating because I think it’s important to know in order to get the right help.

It feels like my world is like a never-ending winter with perfect storms everyday.

"Your have your episodes of depression and mania that come and go but then you can still have this level of distress, sadness, or dissatisfaction with life that doesnt seem to change, even when your depression or mania have passed. If fact it can be hard to tell if your depression or mania have passed if you're still feeling emotionally unstable." ^ this I rammaged through so many sites in different languages and I couldn't find clear explanation of do I have borderpolar or not. And finally I understand - this so relieving. Thank you for your channel and all your works!

I have this. Hell is an understatement, it’s a battle every second of every day. It’s difficult to understand and difficult to explain.

Omg thank you so so much for making this video. I have been obsessively digging the internet for boderpolar info and it's just so hard to find them. I've been diagnosed with bipolar II disorder about 5 months ago and the medication helped tremendously... But only for a couple months. At that point, I thought I just needed an increase in my antidepressant dose coz the depression is not going away and was suddenly more intense than ever. Then I saw your video about BPD. Immediately, I wanted to talk to my psychiatrist so badly coz I was starting to realize that I might have 6 out of the 9 BPD symptoms in me, but with the pandemic and all, my next appointment is pushed to August, which is driving me insane coz I really need to talk to her. I was afraid that I was misdiagnosed and the medications I'm taking are not suitable for me. ....That is until I came across the term 'borderpolar'. Only then I know that it is possible to have both bipolar and BPD. And thanks to this video, I've learned something new and I will be ready to talk about this with my psychiatrist as soon as I see her again. I just hope I can get through until the time comes.... Thank you again, Dr.

I was recently diagnosed with both BD1 and BPD, life is improving since. After reading about my illnesses I’ve found that I tend to be in four moods (I hope my insights are useful for whoever is reading this): manic idealization, manic devaluation, depressive idealization and depressive devaluation

This was so very true for me. I had to try not to cry :( It was like someone was holding up a mirror to my face and was saying; 'this, this is you'. It was not a bad thing; it gives me more insight into what is happening with me and why. My assessment report from my Psychiatrist was very thought and my 'Dual- Diagnosis' was completely in line with what you were saying. The video helped describe what is happening to me in a different way, contributing to the report that I had received previously. Thank you Dr. Marks

I am borderpolar diagnosed by health professionals several times. But as I approach my 30s and after a lot of psychotherapy, I notice that the borderline's symptoms are almost undetectable. On the other hand, I feel that the symptoms of bipolarity become more and more severe.

When 1st receiving treatment...I was diagnosed as having schizoaffective disorder...over the course of 38 years of treatment.. I have now been diagnosed as having Schizoaffective disorder by one of my health care providers..and Bipolar disorder Type 1, BPD, & C-PTSD by another. I think the manners of treatment and diagnosis have vastly evolved over my lifetime...as have the medications that are available for psychiatrists to prescribe. I have been fortunate to have more good ( Iike yourself) than bad.. psychiatrists & therapists...helping me to lead a life whereby I became a professional myself and am now retired. I really love that you are taking the effort to educate the public about mental health concerns. I so wish someone such as you would have been treating me when I was in my 30's so I could have had a chance at understanding what was going on. Thanks for what you do.

I have both. 😔 BPD all day everyday day struggles. Bipolar pops in every couple/ few times a year. Took foreverfor me to explain what I was feeling and that the differences were different they were not feeling the same and I finally understood that those other episodes were bipolar 2. I also have OCD, PTSD, general anxiety, panic, and social anxieties and a few severe phobias and Dysthymia. The features I have are... Dissociation, derealisation, chronic paranoia, ideas of reference, transient stress-related psychosis, and then when the depression or hypomania kick in I get grandiose or severely paranoid and depressed or super angry agitated and irritable. My last concussion pushed out and worsened these issues.

You truly are a gift to society!!! Amazing ❤️

Thank you for giving this thing a name finally. Borderpolar fits perfectly. I love your videos, they help me look into myself. I'm mainly BPD but definitely have several other issues like Bipolar II, anxiety and PTSD. It can be extremely hard to separate what is what, but you are truly helping in my process.

*me: “i hope so... because i do...”* 😂🤍

This video helped me come to realization I have not been the partner I needed to be. I appreciate the way you explained the priority in treatment it is something that if I knew then what I know now I could have made their life much easier and I hope this helps anyone who watches it in the future.

I was diagnosed BPD in my late 20s, Bipolar I in my early 30s. Also OCD, anxiety and PTSD, as well as a poly addiction history. I'm now 53. It's a little overwhelming when I put it all together. The wreckage I've caused has created massive guilt and self loathing. I admit I can be kinda scary in an episode, so I retreat a lot. So what I fear most, loneliness or not being understood, is always upon me. When I become manic or depressed, I'm likely to take it out on myself. I blame myself for the loneliness. I take DBT every few years and revisit my skills often, weekly therapy, medication. I'm pushing myself to be more physically active, because that seems to help the most. It takes the edge off of everything. Thank you, Dr. Marks!

Omg I have both and this is the first video I’ve ever seen with both and I feel so much less alone omg I’m so happy to see this

Love your hair, Dr. Tracey! 💜

I was recently diagnosed with BPD and Bipolar Disorder and this video really does make sense.

I also have borderpolar (Bipolar 2 and BPD). Everything you said is so true and you did a great job at encapsulating all the factors

I have been diagnosed with both a separate times in my life. I feel like you explained me better than anyone else has. It's miserable to feel like this 24/7

My husband was diagnosed with both at 47. He was sexually inapporopriate with a client during a hypomanic episode. He'd had 3 suicide attempts in his past and his parents never sought help. He is now medicated and sees a therapist. It's made our marriage a difficult road. I know logically about his disorder but the heart feels differently. If only his parents had intervened in his teens.

Thank you very much, I've been diagnosed with BPD but my symptoms didn't seem to fit all the descriptions, this one on the other side seems muuuch more on point

If youre BPD and bipolar reading this comment, juat know that this new generation of future to-be-licensed clinicians is rooting for you. We have teachers likw the wonderful woman in this video, and we are ready to help you, not stigmatize you. I cant wait to open my private practice geared towards BPD folks ❤

I'm HM and I've been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, adhd, bipolar 2, insomnia, borderline personality disorder, and PTSD. I developed a binge eating disorder in my early childhood that I still experience sometimes. I had repressed memories of ritual abuse surface and continue to trickle in for the last 5 years. I've been told by a therapist that they think I've been over diagnosed. I live with multiple fully developed personalities. I'm in-between therapists as I'm moving next month and the last one told me she thought I was a "trend follower" after telling her how I recognized and identified traits and behaviors of autism spectrum disorder from my earliest memories and throughout childhood up to things I still struggle with today. The word choice overall was shockingly disappointing for a professional with her credentials, and she told me that after 1 introductory appointment where she wouldn't even let me finish some of my sentences to jump in like she had me all figured out. I'll seek another opinion when I move, but for now I'm just trying out different cognitive/behavioral treatments and capitalize on what best enables me to succeed while trying to not become too attached to a label. (And continuing to take my medications as prescribed by my doctor) Though it would be incredibly validating to have that diagnosis. It's been a challenging road with a lot of trauma, therapy, and trial and error for treatments for literally over half of my life, but it is getting significantly better. The progress is slow and doesn't always seem like much until I zoom out and think of my progress over the long term. Videos like this have helped me to better understand my internal/subjective reality compared to other people's perceptual realities and that has been very beneficial along my recovery. Thank you for sharing your knowledge! :)

I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and for 20 years I've struggled to get control of my life. Medication smooths out the long-term mood swings, but my panic, fear and anxiety run rampant. It has negatively affected my career and my relationship with my wife. This is really cool because it makes so much sense. I am going to bring this up with my psychiatrist!

I'm currently in the process of tracking my moods in order for my psychiatrist to give an accurate diagnosis. I have overlapping symptoms and he hasn't been able to tell me whether I have both or just one of them. I'm just glad that someone is trying to make sure that I know exactly what's going on.

I wanted to be a psychiatrist, I was so desperate to learn and understand the dynamics of the violence that tore apart my childhood and adolescence. I became a civil engineer instead, and now I spend all of my time watching those videos.

I have both. Also am recovering from addiction and major c-ptsd. I'm on Lamictal and am in therapy, utilizing DBT and CBT skills. It's a process and a journey, requiring patience, insight, and compassion for oneself. I have suffered my whole life and now, at 54, have a bit more stability and serenity. Thank you, Dr. Marks for the generosity of your expert knowledge. Love from NY.

Thank you so much Dr. Tracey for making this video! I'm 26 and recently found out I have Bipolar. I was diagnosed with BPD at 18 and it has always been very obvious I have that disorder, so my bipolar symptoms were often dismissed by myself and professionals as BPD symptoms. I actually feel kind of silly it took me this long to figure out I have both illnesses, but I guess these things are very complicated and take time to prove. This is the only video I've found on the subject that really helps me to understand what both of these diagnoses mean for me. Thank you for making this content available to us for free 🖤

You don’t know how much hope you give me and probably many others it truly means a lot

I had this breakdown last year and went to several psychiatrists and hospitals, one said I had BPD and the other ones said I had Bipolar disorder. I tried meds and therapy however I just started feeling good and now I feel stable but with the horrible fear of just collapsing again and not knowing if I do have a mental illness or not. Thank you so much for your videos! ❤️

Truly fascinating! The lightbulb 💡 just went on for me!! Always diagnosed with rapid-cycling bipolar but with fear of abandonment, etc also... Thank you!

I am diagnosed with Bipolar type 2 and traits of BPD. My Bipolar is slow cycling... both highs and lows can last anywhere from days to weeks and in some cases even months. My BPD traits cause my biggest issues with regards to interpersonal relationships though. Their impact is sudden and harsh. Everything related to borderline ‘I see comming’ if that makes sense... as it takes some time to go from one state to the other... Everything related to BPD traits... even though they always follow the same triggers... catches me by surprise. Both make me feel like I have no power over my emotions... Which only in case of a manic episode isn’t too bad for me (cause my manic episodes are without risky behaviour and make me wish I could be like that forever since I am literally feeling like a creative superhuman when in that state) Regardless... what I wanted to say is that... due to that difference in time it takes for things to change (for me personally) under the influence of Bipolar or BPD... I think of Bipolar as the ‘season’ and BPD as the ‘weather’. To me... BPD causes the storm... inside the ‘season’ (depression) caused by my Bipolar. And know I can even have some bad BPD related things happen during a manic episode but that is beyond the point I am trying to convey. Weird how this is what it feels like to me... because it is somewhat the oposite of the explenation given... where BPD is the Climate (fixed hardwire) and Bipolar the storm that rolls in... I understand that makes sense from looking at whether or not one is ‘always with you’ or changes with time... But I look at it from the perspective of how I suffer from them on the basis of interpersonal relationship issues and if the effects are slow/continuous (season) or fast/unexpected (weather). A different approach. Interested in hearing your point of view on this! Kind regards, Marten

She’s worth the out of network coverage

I thank you from my heart for your videos, psychoeducation is just as important as the medical treatment.

So I'm not the only person in the world who has BPD, bipolar disorder AND cPTSD? It certainly feels like it... Thank you for your videos, they are really good!!!! [I'm bipolar 2 with mostly depression and mixed episodes. At the moment I take six different medications and had DBT for about 10 years. I'm pretty hopeless.] Greetings from Europe

I haven't been officially diagnosed with BPD or PTSD, but it was only my nursing staff during my latest (and final, if I can help it) complete psychotic break, who helped me see that I had some DEEP trauma issues. One amazing nurse told me what I had always known "You don't need anti-psychotics" instead suggesting rest. Another suggested sleeping meds to help with nightmares/anxiety (which were rampant during my stay) and tentatively said I might have PTSD, not knowing I had been obsessively studying C-PTSD and trying to figure out if my parents' narcissism had me "fucked up." Well, what do you know? For most of my life, whether or not I have acted out or not, I have been possessed of POWERFUL urges to self-injure. I've never been addicted to drugs or alcohol, but I sometimes throw myself into my hobbies at the exclusion of almost everything else when I'm stressed. I'm a bit "obsessive." Most people focus on "splitting" when unaware BPD sufferers see loved ones as either "all good" or "all bad" but for me, it's the crippling fear of rejection/judgment that has really become elevated beyond my control. Living under CONSTANT abuse and pressure to excel made me excellent at "not dropping the ball" and the fear/hatred of humiliation makes me EXTRA good at keeping up appearances but also EXTRA attuned to when people say shit about my vulnerabilities or people WITH my vulnerabilities and for many years I privately decided to not say anything but just never have that person as a close friend. Imagine what it's like to be "straight passing" or "white-passing" and enjoy the privilege" of being able to hear people shit-talk your labels right in front of your face because they don't realize you're everything they're dissing. Now, imagine being able to "perform stability" so well that your performance passes every single time, so much so that family members REALLY "think" that you're "normal" in spite of consistent hospitalizations and need of care. I think my BPD, ironically, got so much worst after realizing that my boyfriend really did love me, not just the false front I presented to the world. Suddenly, I became allergic to bullshit directed at me. I find it impossible to tolerate people, including "close" family members, who claimed to have my best interest in mind, but would vouch for other people in their circle, OVER ME, supposedly "sane"" people who had no excuse to behave childishly, but did, time and time again. It became less and less about not being valued, and more and more a growing horrific violation in the form of being of extremely low priority. Funnily, though, now that I start valuing myself, accusations of "crazy" are flying around more. For the first time, I was dropped by a therapist for having "difficult to treat" issues. But at the same time, my psychiatrist-- a PSYCHIATRIC ASSISTANT-- who probably isn't older than me, is the only psychiatrist/psychologist I have EVER worked with that EVER seemed to give a fuck about me, and so therefore treatment will go better, because I actually feel like I fully trust him. It was similar to my experience with a therapist I had in 2013, who was so much more helpful to me not becauase of mere "expertise" but because it was so easy to be vulnerable to her, to take off the mask and RECEIVE treatment. Knowing that, in my case, it isn't my ability to GIVE love that is broken-- I've spent a lifetime giving too much-- but it is my ability to RECEIVE. It's been the hardest thing to deal with since being with my boyfriend, not the fact that he doesn't love me-- because I know he does, splitting or not-- but the fact that now that I know I am TERRIFIED he won't love me anymore. He's so patient and kind, and sometimes I am emotionally distant, or behave like a rage-mongering drama queen just to see if there's anything I can say that's awful enough to make him hate me. I secretly WANT him to hate me, even though I fear it because I hate myself so much I think I deserve his rejection. It's terrifying because due to my deep obsession with psychology, I have the ability to see from the outside that this behavior is insane and destructive, and he hurts because I hurt, that this kind of love is really all I wanted from my parents, FROM ANYONE, and that now that I have it, because I've lived in a state of low self-worth for so long, I don't even know what to do with it. Sometimes I sob and sob and sob uncontrollably because I am so terrified of hurting him like I've been hurt, re-traumatizing him (he's an abuse victim, too). Even though it pays our bills, sometimes I can't concentrate on work because it doesn't matter, NOTHING MATTERS because it feels like my entire life has been a lie. I feel like everything I've ever done has been "acting", and I'm afraid that my love for him is "acting" that I'm a complete IMPOSTER, not just in my academic/work life, but not an EMOTIONAL IMPOSTER pantomiming love. It's terrifying, and it scares my boyfriend because in the past few months I've been casually talking about death like it's just changing clothes. I WANT TO DIE ALL THE TIME even though I'm not "actively" suicidal. Ironically-- and he was again, the one who found this-- the medicine that's helped hasn't been any psych drug (besides lithium and emergency short-term anxiety pills) with at least the casual suicidality and crippling anxiety has been birth-control (NORO). I'm almost 30, and when I was 29, my boyfriend and I discovered that my "rapid cycling" was only present during certain times in my menstrual cycle and that many of my symptoms were consistent with PMDD. During each of my two hospitalizations in the course of the last year or so (one voluntary, one involuntary) my birth control (that I only needed after possible complications from Invega) was disrupted because the hospitals didn't see it as necessary for my successful treatment now that I'm at this stage of life as a woman. I know that these "striking" revelations aren't anywhere close to appropriate for a RU-vid comment, nobody cares, blah blah blah, but one habit I have realized that made me realize that on some level I value myself, is leaving "bread crumbs." Due to my increasingly severe disassociation/depersonalization, as crazy as it sounds I really do '"forget" who I am or what I've been through and sometimes life feels very unreal, like a simulation. I'm so used to putting on false selves like they're costumes, that even though I know she's there, she can be very difficult to find. One thing I realized is that my obsession since my teens with making playlists on Pandora, Spotify, etc., and labeling them with themes or emotions, is because listening to that music helps bring me into a state of calm and also helps give me a "timeline' for my life, reminding me that I didn't start out feeling or acting like this, and I won't end up feeling or acting like this and that people who love me do see this behavior as illness while STILL holding me accountable for my behavior and not trying to coddle/dehumanize/invalidate me. Labeling unsafe family members with negative song lyrics or insulting names means that I can always remind myself to disregard everything they say without having to resort to hyperbolically hostile behavior (which serves their purpose, never mind, because labeling me "crazy" and either inducing or encouraging unnecessary hospitalizations is their forte) Being friends with peers and colleagues who think like me (CREATIVES) makes me realize that it is okay to have revenge fantasies, as long as you turn them into art instead of acting on them. It's also very difficult to realize that due to their skewed view on my medical condition, I essentially can't trust any older relatives-- even though I love and respect at least one of them-- to have any involvement in my life beyond the superficial, because they have already decided to side with my parents over me. My dad is dead, and I made peace with who he was, even though he made my life very difficult because he showed remorse, fake or not. It was an attempt. My mother is still alive, and because she is seen as "innocent'" at all times, her existence poses an IMMENSE threat to me and my future with my boyfriend. While never as openly abusive as my dad, her constant gaslighting, belittling and the invasive, possessive, infantilizing nature of her abuse of me as an adult, including but not limited her ability to draw negativity out of me until I'm "the crazy one" and also the fact that at NO POINT has she EVER showed any kind of remorse to me or any of her daughters. She is all the things I feared I was, a dark mirror, the reason for my fucked up view on feminity. Not only can I not forgive her, but I have to admit that now after being forced to pay for her negligence and being made to promise not to "hurt" her because she's "fragile" as I sit here covered in emotional burns, I literally can't allow her in my house or trust anyone who trusts her over me and without evidence. All those people have become "unsafe" and it may seem cruel but it's for my protection and my family's/future family's protection.

I myself have been diagnosed with ADHD, PTSD, depression, GAD (Generalised Anxiety Disorder and Psychosis. A former boyfriend and a former friend who described herself as my "best friend", were each BorderPolar. I had to cut them off and go contact. They were each emotionally and verbally abusive, controlling towards me with no remorse, unpredictable, had narcissistic tendencies and showed no remorse for the stress and anxiety they caused me. I wish I had understood they were BorderPolar at the time. Maybe I could've pointed them in the right direction to get help. Though people tell me it's not my responsibility, I am a fixer and a helper. That they abused it isn't my fault. I still have empathy for what they went through, because there's no worse thing than to battle your mind! If you are BorderPolar and reading this, seek help and treatment. You deserve love and support, not isolation and exclusion.

You just so saved me. I am 59 years old and I have never been so alone in my life. My life blew up in 2010 and it has taken all I have just to survive. I was diagnosed three years ago by a wonderful Psychiatrist and I thought we had found a cure for Borderline Personality Disorder and Adult ADHD. Put on venelafaxine and in time Ritalin. Difference of night and day. But I still after three years of constant daily work and research and reading still wasn't right. I have no friends, I over react, I drive my Adult kids crazy needing reassurance. I also have CPTSD from narcissistic abuse from a long term (26) year marriage with a diagnosed narcissistic sociopath (diagnosed I prison). I have luck right? My Psychiatrist in our appointment last week believes I would benefit from trying lithium and he believes there is some bipolar in there. I haven't started yet as I need blood work done first. I'm a bit afraid. You read all the horror stories but a chance to actually feel happy! I'll take it. Then I found your video and you are the first Dr. That really made the perfect description of what I have been experiencing. I felt like I fit bpd but parts of it didn't cover enough. You have fit both thank you, thank you, thank you. You have given me hope. God bless

I have bipolar 2 and BPD, and it totally sucks. Also got anxiety and PTSD. All in all, it's wreaked havoc with my life. And corona virus is just making everything worse. Not being able to see my psychiatrist in person is really hard, and my tablet doesn't support the video conferencing platform he uses, so my appointments are on the phone now. I am just feeling totally overwhelmed right now, and I don't seem to be able to communicate what I'm feeling in a phone conversation.😢😢😢

I’ve self sabotaged most of my relationships

Thank you for acknowledging us and validating our struggles. Your videos always give me a sigh of relief.

Hey I'm from Germany and this is the only video I have found that explains that people can have "Border-polar", so thank you for understanding and explaining 🙏🏽

Hey Doc. 100% disabled veteran here. Pretty sure this applies to me. We Veterans can use your help. I help veterans with claims for disability. We really need you. The VA has failed us.

Receiving a dual diagnosis and really realizing what I received feels hopeless. Especially knowing how hard it seems to treat somebody properly with both. I wish I just knew another person like me…. There’s little to no information out there on “boderpolar” so thank you for this video. It’s like I wish I could just live with one or the other. It’s so exhausting lol.

Whatever I have it makes me feel all of the emotions in 15 minutes. I can’t comprehend not using a chemical buffer to cope.

Finally people talking about what I have! I have 2 BPD’s is what I usually say. I was first diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder when I was 14 then diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder when I was 18 and have been on medication for almost 8 years changed about 4 times and finally on a good meds combo and have been for a while. Life is sometimes Really hard- ok a lot of the time but with my loved ones, medication, and therapy I’m a whole lot better than I was 8 years ago. If you have any questions for someone with both Borderline Personality and Bipolar I’ll be happy to answer :)

I have a good friend who does suffer from some sort of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder...that is, in my opinion. I do wonder about his episodes of mania, which are accompanied by paranoia. I had a step sister who was bipolar, and my friend is not like her. I believe his mood swings are amplified by pain medications. He's a highly intelligent man, but that is offset by his manic episodes which are manifest largely by verbal lashing out. One particular feature is how quickly he jumps to assumptions of the worst intentions of others, even those he doesn't know. He has seen a lot of very bad things in his career the public would never encounter, so in a way I understand his perspective. But he often sounds very paranoid in how he quickly assumes the worst. I do worry about him. I love your very helpful, instructional presentations. Plus, you're a babe.

I can say with confidence that I am overly medicated and that is the fault of my old psychiatrist who diagnosed with Bipolar II at age 15 and put me on *6* medications to experiment because my mood had stabilized, but I was showing mental instability. I'm now 18 and seeing a new psychiatrist, he was able to diagnose me with BPD on top of my Bipolar II and I'm in the process of stopping 4 of the 6 medications, also waiting in line for therapy! 😁 There really isn't a whole lot of research done that I've found on Borderpolar and its a big issue but this has given me a much better grasp of having both disorders and answered a lot of questions that I had. Thank you for being such a help!❤

You are the first doctor that made a video about this. You saved me really, thanks. It would be amazing if someone can translate it to spanish

Thank you for talking about this you help me understand myself and it gives me comfort to understand

Thank you Dr. Traci Marks for your videos. They helped me give myself the initial small push out of my last episode of treatment-resistant bipolar depression. I was then able to seek help and continue to help myself. Watching your videos may have saved me a hospital stay, as I was psychotic and suicidal. Right now my mood is normal, which is amazing for me. We will see how long that lasts.

I’ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, type 2. I recently started hearing voices.... and now that I think about it... I’ve always heard ‘voices’ idk if it’s borderline personality disorder, but it feels like I’m multiple people.

Recently, I have been diagnosed with bipolar I disorder. At first I was relieved that I can finally get the help I need because I knew there's something wrong with me since I was a kid. But then a I remember back when I was in 8th grade, I have a strong suspicion about me having BPD because I kinda I feel like my emotions are too intense and my perception of my loved ones always shift, like I can talk about them like they are the best people in the world, and then without warning, it would shift and for me, they are the worst ever. Plus, it just only occur to me that I also have fear of abandonment which is why I do extreme effort to make people stay and fear of rejection as well. But somehow, I doubt myself as well since I don't really trust the internet that much and I wasn't able to talk to experts since I don't have the knowledge about the proper ways of seeking professional help. Now, seeing this, it made me wonder if I had both because my diagnosis did not entirely enlightened me why I was behaving the way I am. Though it is true and real that I experienced my mania and depression, there are times I find it difficult to recognize them and there are things that are still hazy for me. So, my question is, is it alright for me to have another psych assessment for BPD? I just really want a peace of mind and understanding of myself and maybe, in that way, I can be gentler to myself in my healing journey.

I have Bipolar Mood Disorder 2, BPD, Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder. I'm not sure if this is the worst combination yet but I can assure everyone that these 4, all happening at the same time, is as good as dying. Thanks for this video though. Watching this video doesn't remove the disorders but knowing that there's an explanation to what I'm going through somehow makes me feel good as it reduces the "self-loathing" a little bit. Thanks, Doc. You're as great and awesome as ever.

BPD is now known as EUPD. BPD is not easy for a patient to understand unless properly explained. I was diagnosed with BPD in 2007. It was not followed after moving to a different region. Years later I was diagnosed with EUPD and everything became clear.

I wish you were my therapist :( thank you for all that you do and all the information you share with us

fuck i lived my whole life being so fucked up. i thought i just bipolar 1 but even when mood swings changed i still felt the way you described. oh fuck. i never took any meds even though i probably needed them

Yes, I've noticed that a lot of patients have overlapping conditions that makes a single diagnosis difficult and the labels really don't help all that much anyway...

Finally someone who doesn’t talk about borderline people like they need to be heavily monitored like they’re psycho paths. My life may not be perfect, but I know myself (which is ironically what I shouldn’t feel with borderline according the jerk drs), I have an anchor in my kids (my racing suicidal thoughts are easily dismissed. Still got em, but I self manage. All my counselors fail to grasp that you CAN have thoughts without intent to pursue, I can’t imagine I’m a unicorn in that regard), I neeeeed help with managing my constantly yo yoing emotions. I’ve received therapy and medications across three states and still have yet to find someone capable of treating me. Either great dr bad counselor or tremendous counselor, and dr who won’t listen to me. Why does this have to be so impossible 🙄 Years ago I saw a counselor for like 4 years, and literally had a bond with her where she could sense I was having a bad day and she would call to check up. Meanwhile the dr was either under prescribing me, or over prescribing meds that didn’t really work or were secretly sterilizing (didn’t bother to say hey, this is basically birth control is that cool?). Finally left the practice and praying someone can help me now

Thank you Dr. You have helped me a great deal in coping & understanding my situation. Your videos are very detailed & presented in an excellent professional manner. Thank you so much for all you do. God Bless You.

I have both, and it is hard... Trying my best everyday to live a happy and healthy life and bring good to the world ❤️

Thanks for this video. I have both bipolar and bpd, and my curtdmt treatment is DBT, after a few months with this treatment, its the first time in 27 years that i feel happy.

I have bipolar type 1 with rapid cycling and BPD. Thank you so much for the validation

Thank you so much for your effort and your videos, doctor. I never felt I fit the criteria for bipolar (my first diagnosis) nor schizoaffective. This makes much more sense.

Thank you...I recently got a new psychiatrist due to moving from one end of Aus to the other and am finally being properly screened for bipolar. If I do have it, then I will need help from my partner as he notices the extremes sooner than I do. But at least I'll know where to go from this. While there's always room for improvement, I've learnt all the skills for controlling my BPD at least.

My experiences with borderPolar is that's chaotic as hell. I would say a living hell I can't escape... now that my manic episode starts people would say " hey that's great so you feel better now right?" Yeah. But what does it cost to be more happy then usual? Memory loss. I haven't slept for months. I'm a student- I can't even remember the name of the teacher. Hello next exam. In pandemic time I haven't slept for 8 months. Nobody believed me. I wanted to get hospitalized but they said they have no place for me. It's not that bad they said. My house doctor prescribed me a tea (Baldrian). That was the break down.. I searched for help- nobody listend. I ran out the praxis and cried a whole hour. The first time I cried after years of feeling empty. The psychiatrist I got after a long time of trying hard…recommended me to hug some trees. Song: the neighborhood-staying up I did everything. From pills to pills... drinking tea. Eating all types of vitamins everyday. Serotonin.. antidepressants.. dopamine.. drugs.. ginseng, ginkgo and st. Johann herb everyday. Ashwagandha, 5-htp, Baldrian, extreme overdose of coffeine, SSRIs, SNRIs, TCAS... What tf else does it take to be normal? The only thing I wanted to sleep again... even tho I don't want to sleep. I didn't need sleep.. I don't feel tired. Borderline is is my whole personality. Sometime I'm afraid if I even have a real personality. My mood goes from up to down multiple times a day. People are irritated bc of this even scared of me. So borderline is just my personality and the bipolar disorder is just a long period of time I feel depressed or really hyperactive. The depressed episodes feel like a whole burn out every time. And I am burned out. Ptsd, ocd, panic attacks are just side effects I don't play much attention to. What did I eat yesterday again? Mama says it's normal. Everybody goes thru it. So it's alright.

I would be interested in revisiting this topic in 2024. Thank you!

Authentic self in, false self out. Don't mix them. Authentic is positive and false self is negative. That is the first step. The 2nd step is to make the true self primary and the false self secondary. Inhale pleasure into authentic primary self and exhale pain into secondary false self. I have found this technique reduces bipolar and bpd symptoms. It is kind of like an egg; yolk in and shell out.

I ❤ you for being so helpful to me (us) as I struggle though this illness that has somewhat recently come to make my life that much more difficult and painful. Thank you so very much.

I've got BP1 and BPD, it's hard to live with but medications and therapy help. Polar Warriors is a helpful youtube channel for learning how to cope and understand bipolar symptoms

I feel that this is such a perfect fit for me. I want to raise the possibility of bipolar type 2 but know that I won't be listened too.

this makes me realize i might wanna ask my psychiatrist about a borderline assessment considering i have those same patterns you mentioned

i think i have both, i would have short mood swings during the day, and mania that lasts for like a week or so. i've been having week-long manias since i was very young. started showing bpd symptoms in my early 20s. now i'm in my 30s and been diagnosed with schizoaffective. fun times.

I have been diagnosed with both. The medicines I am on help and alot of prayer I have a therapist. Personally it was very hard. I feel different now. I dress better and feel better about myself. A bit concerned cause my therapist said we would ride this until the wheels fall off. I understand that in the future this may not be the same, I could crash. Although this seem like success now, I'm bracing for impact.🙂🙃

Hi Dr. Tracey! I've been reading articles, videos about mental health for years, but it still is really confusing for me. Bullied in preschool, elementary, junior highschool. At home i was tough loved by parents, yet they monitored me 24/7 no boundaries, no privacy, very protective (5-23 yo) I was a very tantrum teenager (13-19) Sexual harrased, verbally (16-18) Sexual abused, verbally and forced to have sex with no consent (22) I was diagnosed bipolar (22) I was told i was stable and didn't need pills (24) Although i still feel im not okay, im not normal, and when i read about lot of others mentall illness, i'm not that relatable to bipolar, and more relatable to borderline personality. I had a nightmare that i constantly kill people (22-present) I had a list of people that i WISH i could murder (22-present) Everytime i heard the word sex, i got heart racing, heavy breathing, nausea. Seems like i've become allergic to sex topic. (22 - present) However, in my country mental illness is not a common topic, and professionals is not yet established. I keep asking to my therapist here, whether or not i misdiagnosed from Bipolar to Borderline. Since i haven't experienced manic episode since 19 yo. I was more and more depressive and lack of self esteem, i feel worthless, i dont believe in my self and my capability where in paper, i'm a straight A student. Still, i cant trust my judgement and opinion. Plus i feel like i'm obssesed with my father. I need to get his appreciation no matter what.

I’m getting triggered by knowing about these but I’m really thankful for the knowledge!

You understand more than the closest family members I explain to on daily basis just to let me be

I just got diagnosed with both yesterday. These videos are super helpful!

I have both, plus anxiety disorder (social, phobia, panic) ocd (dermatilomania), body dysmorphia. Plus i have SPS. Its fucked up to be me and studying medicine abroad. Its a war and its tiring and I am barely surviving. I thought I was healing and getting better after being locked in a mental institution just the find out it was actually mania.. I wanted to smoke but I kept on sleeping to stop that urge because I know the moment I start I wont be able to stop. I cant look at myself into the mirror without being disgusted by myself. I sometime feels like am losing my mind. I dont remember anything I mess up while being manic.. I only remember what happened when I am depressed. When ever someone makes me talk about my trauma I dissociate.. I talk nonstop and overwhelm people when i am manic, I sing dance and do every thing without having a care in the world. And them I get depressed and dont leave my room for days. I either oversleep and still wake up restless or I barely sleep and wake up ready for the day. I get angry and suddenly want to break up, one moment I am telling my boyfriend he is the best man and another I tell him it will never work and that he dont care or love me. I hated my sister finance and shouted at him because i felt like he is stealing her from me. I dragged my boyfriend into my mess. I tried to kill myself because he broke up with me. I am just a mess and big mess. I wanna live a moment and the other I feel so tired, empty and lonely. 💔 I just wanna be normal.

Dr. Marks, could you possibly do a video on what are some ideal career paths for biopolar people? Boxing and other athletic endeavors have always proven awesome, as have artistic endeavors, but they don't always provide for any kind of a living. Please explore this issue and provide some direction. Thanks.

Dr. Marks, I wish you could have cared for Dusty Springfield. Reportedly was diagnosed at Bellvue with bipolar. Sadly,also was a well witnessed self cutter with suicidal tendencies. She admitted to being an addictive personality. Food, alcohol, cocaine and "people". Its amazing she was also a musical genius and could produce so many hits ,rock and roll hall of fame, etc. Check out the extensive number of her videos on youtube. Wow just amazing accomplishments while suffering with mental health issues. People are more tban their illness. Im sure you could have helped her .To her great credit, she eventually cleaned up the substance abuses and was very proud of it. She once stated quitting was easy, the staying quit was very difficult.

Thanks 😊 Dr. Marks 👍 👌. You are an awesome speaker of topics in your arena.

Really helpful video to watch, so often I find videos that seem to argue you have one or the other, whereas my psychiatrists have all agreed I have both. After 11 years of ignoring the bpd and just throwing meds at me despite them not really doing anything I'm now having a mixture of group and 1 on 1 therapy along with waiting for specialist therapy. Just hoping I don't manage to wreck my relationship with my partner in the process

i got told i could be bipolar or borderline by my psychiatrist. never knew you could be both

Thank you so much for your videos. They are so helpful!

I have this. I now live in my Van. Its been 3 months since ive seen my son. For 9 weeks now, i havent worked, been to jail, psychward, got kicked out of the psychward for rage. Strapped down to a bed, medicated. Threatened my boss and his wife, his house his truck when i quit. Threatened to burn down my aunts house for kicking me out, cuz i threated to stab someone. 4 assault charges, 15 different correctional facilities, psychwards, different diagnosis time after time, over doses, drank antifreeze, walked around the city with a hatch in hand. My behavior is unacceptable, my thoughts are negative mostly, my emotions switch by the minute, i have a moral compass but cannot control myself. I watch myself do things and get frustrated at myself for doing them, then everyone else is frustrated on top. Hard to remain positive knowing i need CBT, DBT or Mentalization Based Therapy. But no Doctor will touch me because im so impulsive with little stability. I run away, start over, all the time. Comfortable in Chaos. Im a 36 year old male, nobody gives a sht. Be a man. Right

This was very helpful an I think I have a young client whose 17 now and seem to fit this. It also explains why we haven’t made much progress in treatment ….

I have them both. I never see other people unless i go to the store.

Hi Dr Tracy. My current diagnosis is schizophrenia. I had a very abusive and traumatic childhood. I have researched Freud and I'm now able to recognize how primary narcissism and my libidinal drive converged and produced an affect that was so exquisite that I fell into a solipsistic delusion where in an intrapersonal sense I experienced a sense of triumphantcy that produced a feeling euphoria. During the course of this elation I incurred feelings of omnipotence and omniscience which intensified the feeling of euphoria to the point where I either slipped into depersonalization or derealization ( the terms still confuse me.). This is what i experienced in my mind as a plan formulated to which I thought would see me elevated into the status of an adult with the same power and authority. I managed to ground myself and then acted out my plan. It went off like clockwork but what I hadn't factored in was how the victim of my plan may react. The resentment at being duped was too much and they depersonalized and attacked me. I was four and a half years old. A few months ago I recognized that when I get distressed emotionally I to depersonalize and how 43 years later I'm still acting out the same dynamics that were in play way back then. Normal people trigger me. Socializing triggers me. You know what's marketed as health and wellbeing. I'm really becoming conscious of it, how I retreat into inner passivity ( my bomb shelter ) because I think people are foolish for not bracing for impact. I should add that that ace was in a social setting. My question to you is does the diagnosis of schizophrenia just a blanket term that basically says your doomed? We don't want to know about your aces or Cptsd you just accept...... pardon me I'm just being a little cynical. Think my frustration is trauma takes time to process and it also takes to know what is a psychiatrist s duty of care and what is a psychologist s. Peace

Im borderpolar and I’m so glad to see this Video, cause the most videos are just either bipolar or borderline. I showed my boyfriend this video, to understand me a bit more… Thank you so much 🤍 Maybe if u got time, u could make a video for partners, Parents and friends how to treat us.. greetings !

I absolutely have it and when I got the borderline diagnosis to explain what didn't go away during my bipolar medication I got my hands on as much DBT stuff as I could. Now I feel like after years of DBT training and therapy the shit that's ruining everything is bipolar. And I mention this to my therapists as "it came out of nowhere so I think it's the bipolar and I need a meds tweak" or "I feel stable on meds but am acting a little borderline cause this certain trigger event happened". That's how I determine the difference so I can navigate the solution. But even if I'm struggling rn for years meds + DBT made me very stable. Now I know I can beat the borderline when the meds are working.

I came across you by accident, I am so thankful I did.

It's so sad. I have a hard time dealing with my adult child. Extremely dysregulated. Heartbreaking.