[Stacey]

BPD/Bipolar/Anxiety can have a lot of overlapping symptoms so having difficulty separating the two is understandable.

A simple way to distinguish the two is that bipolar often has distinct periods of mania/depression. BPD on the other hand has similar symptoms like impulsivity, mood swings, abrupt changes to behaviour/appearance/etc. but they are almost always triggered by relationship interactions and drastic life changes/events.

While it is a very basic way to look at it, for the most part, any symptoms/thoughts you feel that are extreme or abrupt after some sort of relationship interaction or stressful life event is likely to be BPD. What triggers your BPD can absolutely trigger bipolar symptoms as well though, but you may be more likely to sink into one of those periods of mania/depression after a bit of time has passed, BPD reactions are often in quick response to the trigger. Since both BPD and bipolar are diagnoses of "extremes" so to speak, it can be very difficult to tell the two apart, especially at the moment. You may find it easier to separate the two when you look back in hindsight at particular moments.

More so than the diagnoses, the biggest difference is how the two are treated. DBT (dialectical behaviour therapy) is considered the "gold standard" for BPD treatment whereas bipolar is typically treated with medication.

There's a great video by Ofir Sasson on Youtube called Borderline Personality Disorder (2017) that does a great job at breaking down BPD.