How long does it take to diagnose someone with bipolar disorder &/or borderline personality disorder? r these mental illnesses or personality traits?

Variable: It may take several sessions of history-gathering and observing to make diagnoses of this type -- but symptoms & mental status signs may be clear from the start. Borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder are both mental illnesses, not just personality traits. Both may be present in the same person. Borderline pd often has more intense symptoms in intimate relationships than others.

It depends: Some studies have shown it can take up to ten years on average to diagnose bipolar disorder when the patient keeps coming in with depression. While depressed they don't remember the highs. Using a scale called the mdq helps. So does getting history from relatives. This is. A mental illness. I try to avoid diagnosing a personality disorder until the mood is level. A borderline pd is also a mental illness, but i will not diagnosis unless it is very clearly not related to the bipolar disorder per se. When it appears in a partial form we simply list borderline traits. I hope this answers your question for you.

See a psychologist: You must be at least 18 years of age with an established pattern of personality traits. The signs and symptoms of bpd can be very similar to other psychiatric disorders. Find a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist who specializes in personality disorders for a diagnosis. Many can tell within a session or two. Bipolar disorder is a primary mental illness and can also be DX by a mental health prof.

Borderline: Not quickly. BPD isintense fear of abandonment, being manipulative, impulsivity, a tendency to think of people and things in all good or all bad terms, self mutilating behaviors, drug and alcohol abuse, sexual impulsivity, a profoundly disturb sense of self, and extreme emotional volatility. Bipolar disorder is characterized by extreme mood swings from deep depression to the stratosphere of mania.