What’s the difference between borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder?

What’s the difference between borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder?

While borderline personality disorder (BPD) and bipolar disorder have similar symptoms and are often confused for each other, they’re distinct conditions.

BPD involves a longstanding pattern of abrupt, moment-to-moment swings in moods, behavior and self-image that are often triggered by conflicts in interactions with other people. Nonsuicidal self-injury is also common in BPD but not in bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder is different from BPD because it involves distinct, longer-lasting episodes of mania/hypomania and/or depression. Several things can trigger manic or depressive episodes, such as sleep changes, stress, medications and substance use.