Bipolar Bi polar vs post traumatic stress

[dulcia]

I am a supporter wondering...

- Are there overlap in symptoms of BPD and PTSD?
- How often is someone diagnosed with both BPD and PTSD?
- Can coping mechanisms beneficial to someone with BPD also be useful for someone with PTSD?
- And if the answer to these questions are no, why would a med primarily used in the treatment/management of BPD be used for someone with PTSD?

Seeking any relevant sufferer or supporter input.

 

[screen-name]

I'm going to assume you mean lithium. I can't sya specifically for your loved one but lithium can treat major depression without bipolar. It it is used for bipolar because it's the most effective for the low moods and I think (but not certain) stopping the lows helps prevent the cycle to the highs.

 

[Gs172003]

I am a supporter wondering...

- Are there overlap in symptoms of BPD and PTSD?
- How often is someo...

Are you questioning his meds or his diagnosis?or what he's telling you?

 

[dulcia]

No, no. This is purely just a research for my own curiosity's sake type of thing. I don't really know much about BPD.

Although I do sometimes wonder if there may be other diagnoses involved him other than just PTSD.

 

[Friday]

The medication used for bipolar disorder tend to be a cocktail of an antidepressant (for the lows) + an antipsychotic or antianxiety (for the highs) + a mood stabilizer (to regulate both the normal swings and the medication swings). Those meds? Are used in many, many, many other disorders.

Is there symptom overlap? Very much so. While there's overlap in nearly ALL disorders, bipolar disorder is one of the disorders people are commonly MISdisagnosed with, if they keep their trauma history to themselves (or have a crappy diagnostician). Speaking as someone who is comorbid with 2 disorders? The same symptom doesn't make it the "same" symptom, even though it's a shared symptom. In ADHD disassociation is handled differently than in PTSD. The causation is different. It "feels" different. The best way to deal with it is different. So while there is very often symptom overlap, that doesn't mean it's easier.

Some coping mechanisms are just useful, period. Not completely across the board, but as near to it as makes no nevermind. Others are very disorder specific. The disorder specific coping mechanisms are the ones that usually make other disorders &/or neurotypical folk worse. Which is why if I'm posting an ADHD coping mechanism up here? I flag it as such. That said, even disorder specific coping mechanisms are sometimes useful for disorders that share facets. As an example, an ADHD coping mechanism that can make normal population head explode (FFS how on earth would that help *anyone*) can be super duper useful for someone with SPD (sensory processing disorder), or SPD facets in other disorders (autism, TBI, etc.).

 

[Deleted member 541]

@Friday You're like a walking medical dictionary and DSM manual!!! Sorry off topic.

 

[dulcia]

Have you seen pure mania or does he just have mood swings?

I don't think I know enough to know what pure mania looks like. I'll have to do some googling. Is it true that in order to be considered a manic episode the symptoms/behaviors have to last at least a week?

 

[dulcia]

The disorder specific coping mechanisms are the ones that usually make other disorders &/or neurotypical folk worse.

Thanks @Friday. Much better than Web MD. Lol.

 

[Deleted member 541]

@tiredtexan No people with bi-polar can have what's called rapid cycling also, where they go from depression to mania rapidly...And then back again.

 

[Friday]

@Friday You're like a walking medical dictionary and DSM manual!!! Sorry off topic...

@She Cat LMAO. You should have seen me do my anatomy & physiology class for 4-7yos. We had songs. Also interpretive dance. And snacks. :p The 7-12 class is more fun, though. We used robots to dissect & or operate on human organs (courtesy of a local science foundation) :sneaky: Wicked cool. Although, cannibalism being frowned upon in polite society, we did not eat our experiments in that class. <cough>

<chuckling> I've found you never truly understand a thing, though, until you can explain in -in a way that can be understood- by a 4yo. Because college students will pretend they understand what the f*ck you're saying, but a 4yo? Will call you out! :hilarious:

I only know a few disorders from the DSM, well, though.

 

[Gs172003]

@She Cat LMAO. You should have seen me do my anatomy & physiology class for 4-7yos. We...

Ha! That's awesome. I might actually want to take that class!