“Both PTSD and BPD present with some similar symptoms. The similarities revolve around the heightened arousal, “fight, flight, and freeze” and can all be components of these diagnoses.
BPD can sometimes be mistaken for PTSD or C-PTSD, and vice-versa. C-PTSD is a subset of PTSD which is associated with long-term or chronic exposure to trauma – much like BPD. Both can cause emotional distress, mood swings, flashbacks, anxiety and anger.
BPD and C-PTSD are easily confused due to the overlap in symptoms. Both are characterized by general emotional distress, which can include emotional “triggers.” These triggers can cause significant reactions including dissociation, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, flashbacks, and/or depression.
One of the most common misdiagnoses for BPD is bipolar disorder. Both conditions have episodes of mood instability. When you have bipolar disorder, your mood may shift from depression to mania, in which you experience elation, elevated energy levels and a decreased need for sleep.
Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPDs) become overwhelmed and incapacitated by the intensity of their emotions, whether it is joy and elation or depression, anxiety, and rage. They are unable to manage these intense emotions.
In real life, however, people may exhibit some traits of a certain personality type without it being a full-blown disorder. People tend to be on a spectrum of more or less severe symptoms before they come anywhere near a diagnosis.
Summary. BPD involves a generalized under-regulation of intense distress related to real or perceived abandonment or rejection, whereas emotion dysregulation in PTSD is characterized by attempts to over-regulate (e.g., emotional numbing, avoidance, dissociation) distress related to reminders of traumatic experiences.
Prolonged and repeated traumas, particularly in early life, promote a chronic inability to modulate emotions, that can result in behavioral patterns characteristic of BPD, such as disturbed relationships, substance abuse, and self-injuries behaviors, in which precocious traumatic events are re-enacted over time (102).
Women with PTSD may be more likely than men with PTSD to: Be easily startled. Have more trouble feeling emotions or feel numb. Avoid things that remind them of the trauma.
Because antidepressants have not demonstrated significant high-level evidence of therapeutic benefit, these medications currently lack strong recommendations in treating BPD. Serotonin regulates amygdala hyperreactivity in BPD, thought to be a central neurobiological correlate of affective instability.
BPD and complex PTSD share a number of features, such as difficulty regulating emotions and an altered sense of self. A key difference, however, is that complex PTSD explicitly frames an individual's condition as a response to trauma, whereas BPD does not. Many people fit the criteria for both disorders.
Researchers think that BPD is caused by a combination of factors, including: Stressful or traumatic life events. Genetic factors.
Physical and Verbal Abuse
Several studies found a relationship between physical or verbal abuse and BPD development (23, 24, 37, 59, 65).
Many mental health professionals do not have a lot exposure or education on BPD, so it's easy for BPD to be misdiagnosed as something else such as bipolar disorder since both disorders involve shifting moods and periods of depression.
Many people who live with borderline personality disorder don't know they have it and may not realize there's a healthier way to behave and relate to others.
Intense angry outbursts. Suicidal thoughts and self-harm behavior. Going to great lengths to feel something, then becoming increasingly avoidant and withdrawn. Paranoia, feeling as if there is someone out to get you.
The key difference between BPD and C-PTSD is that symptoms of BPD stem from an inconsistent self-concept and C-PTSD symptoms are provoked by external triggers. A person with C-PTSD may react to or avoid potential triggers with behaviors similar to those that are symptomatic of BPD.
Dissociation is a state of mind that occurs when someone separates themselves from their emotions, and is a common trauma defense mechanism in people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Dissociation can feel like an out-of-body experience or like disconnection from the world around you.
The main difference is that PTSD occurs because of a singular traumatic incident. The complex subtype results from long-term traumatic circumstances. Its connection to interpersonal trauma also causes lasting relationship issues.
People with borderline personality disorder may experience intense mood swings and feel uncertainty about how they see themselves. Their feelings for others can change quickly, and swing from extreme closeness to extreme dislike. These changing feelings can lead to unstable relationships and emotional pain.
To evaluate crying behavior, we used a set of specially designed tools. Compared to non-patients, BPD patients showed the anticipated higher crying frequency despite a similar crying proneness and ways of dealing with tears.
Personality disorders, including borderline personality disorder, are diagnosed based on a: Detailed interview with your doctor or mental health provider. Psychological evaluation that may include completing questionnaires. Medical history and exam.