Bipolar, schizophrenic, borderline: how not to confuse them?

Illness classification in psychiatry remains complex, due to many unique cases, which make patients different from each other, but also share certain symptoms in common. This is why, when we are misinformed, we often make the mistake of confusing bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or even borderline personality… Here’s how to tell them apart.

Bipolarity: A disorder that appears in waves

A person with bipolar disorder, formerly called manic-depressive psychosis, has a chronic illness that affects their psyche. It is distinguished by:

• Mood swings that work in cycles, “Up” phase or manic and “Down” phase or depressed. There may also be plateau phases in between.
• there is Two types : Type 1 is characterized by particularly strong manic episodes, which may or may not be followed by mood elevation, euphoria, grandiose thoughts, increased energy, distortion of reality, depression. Type 2 is characterized by depression and mild euphoria, which does not involve an escape from reality.
• It usually starts earlyAdolescenceOr early in adult life, but can occur in the 40s/50s or even in the 60s.
• Between 650,000 and 1,600,000 people in France Concerned, either 1 to 2.4% of the population.
• treatment Mood regulators Lets you live with the disease: Lithium, Depakine, But Only a third of patients to one Very good response to treatment. This may be the latter General professional and personal lifeProvided that they respect a healthy lifestyle so that no upheaval occurs.
• Medical wandering is about 8 years. But blood tests are being studied to speed up screening.

Schizophrenia, a persistent state of psychosis

Schizophrenia is often confused with bipolar disorder because certain symptoms, particularly depressive states or delusions, are similar. But schizophrenia is characterized by a persistent state.

• The disease manifests itself through psychosis, viz HallucinationParanoia, dissociation (confused thoughts), but also depression.
• He himself is often confused Dissociative identity disorder, or multiple personality disorderWhile there is no question of having multiple personalities.
• It sometimes involves consequences on cognition, viz Problems with memory, attention and reasoning.
• It is a disorder that is treated on several aspects, on the one hand by antipsychotic drugs, which aim to relieve the symptoms, and support the aim of psychosocial integration.
• Less than 1% of the population Affected, or about 600,000 people.
• near’Third patients Many manage to return to a “normal” life after years of treatment, but this still depends on whether the patient is treated early or not.

Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline personality disorder flirts with bipolarity in the sense that it reflects emotional instability. “These are the people Hypersensitive For different emotions, Good or bad newsEspecially in social, romantic relationships, there is a constant yoyo effect”, Boris Chaumet, doctor of psychiatry and neuroscience explains. This Extreme mood swings (great joy, but above all great anger, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, impulsivity) can happen several times during the day, while a bipolar person will experience longer cycles, lasting several days or months, that will not correlate with the external environment. It almost affects 1% of the populationEspecially womanAnd it is treated with psychotherapy and drugs, such as antidepressants or mood stabilizers.

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