What Is the Difference Between a Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder?  

Bipolar disorder affects about 3% of adults in the United States, while personality disorders affect more than 9% of American adults. 

While both conditions may require intervention to reduce problematic symptoms, understanding the difference matters because diagnosis, treatment, and daily management can vary between them. 

See Evan Donin, PMHNP-BC, at Sunshine Mental Wellness Associates Inc. in Palm Harbor, Florida, or Melville, New York, for a mental health evaluation to determine if you or a loved one has bipolar disorder or a personality disorder. Here’s what to know. 

Symptoms of bipolar disorder vs. personality disorders

The following describes common symptoms of bipolar disorder and personality disorders:

Bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder can cause:

• Mood swings
• Alternating between depression and feeling overjoyed
• Changes in energy, weight, appetite, and/or sleep
• Impulsive decisions
• Racing thoughts
• Difficulty concentrating
• Irritability

You might lose interest in your favorite activities and be overly sad during depressive episodes, but have lots of energy and feel happy during manic episodes caused by bipolar disorder.

Personality disorders

Personality disorder symptoms vary based on the type of disorder you have. Examples of symptoms may include:

• Paranoia
• Dysfunctional thoughts and behaviors
• Lack of interest in other people
• Anger, hostility, and/or suspiciousness
• Preferring to be alone
• Limited emotions
• Lack of social cues
• Unusual thoughts, behaviors, speech, or beliefs
• Hearing voices
• Being dramatic or overly emotional
• Fear of abandonment
• Fluctuating moods
• Impulsive behavior patterns
• Seeking attention
• Risky behaviors
• Feeling more important than other people
• Desiring power, success, and admiration
• Taking advantage of other people
• Low self-esteem
• Lying and/or stealing
• Difficulty with social interactions
• Being dependent on other people
• Being a perfectionist

Examples of personality disorders include paranoid personality disorder, schizoid personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, and histrionic personality disorder.

Others include antisocial personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, avoidant personality disorder, dependent personality disorder, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCD).

A personality disorder can negatively affect interpersonal relationships. It sometimes leads to violence, hurtful actions, and run-ins with the law.

However, it’s difficult to diagnose a personality disorder without the help of a mental health specialist because there are so many different types. 

Finding the right mental health disorder diagnosis 

Bipolar disorder and personality disorders have some of the same symptoms, particularly mood swings and impulsiveness.

Evan diagnoses bipolar disorder and personality disorders using DSM-5 criteria during a psychiatric evaluation to learn which mental health disorders you might have. He can also screen for depression, other mood disorders, ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), OCD, anxiety, PTSD, and similar conditions affecting your mental health.

Treatment varies based on the specific mental health disorder you might have and could include psychotherapy, medication management, and/or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Adopting healthy lifestyle habits is also highly beneficial. 

Find out if you have a mental health disorder that may benefit from treatment at Sunshine Mental Wellness Associates Inc. by contacting us by phone or requesting an evaluation online today.