Hello everyone, just wondering if anyone can explain the difference between bi polar disorder and anxiety. When I see the bi polar med commercial the symptoms seem the same , racing thoughts, mood swings etc. and now of course I am concerned about that. I a[[reciate any information -thank you

Hello -

My answer is only based on personal experience, not medical facts, but here goes:

I suffer from anxiety/panic and my cousin (who is like my sister) is bi-polar.

I can be a little moody but I'm more negative and never manic. She can go from loving someone in the morning to hating their guts that night. She ranges from the world is crashing down to being gradiose and is rarely in between.

I am stable with finances, relationships, jobs. She has had serious issues with being over extended with credit/too generous, she has difficulty maintaining relationships and jobs.

I tend to withdraw socially, feel too guilty, and tend to place blame on myself. She can be gregarious (promiscuous when younger) and cannot accept blame or even recognize her responsibility towards others.

The biggest difference: I recognize there is something wrong with my thinking and am actively trying to change. She believes that everyone else is wrong and thinks any advice or help is an attack against her.

If you are bi-polar, you would probably have pretty significant problems in your life. If you are anxious, the problems are probably more internally focused. Anxiety is considered a mood disorder whereas bi-polar is a mental illness.

If you still have questions or recognize any of the red flags, please get professional help. Bi-polar can be treated, as can anxiety, and life is too short to suffer needlessly

i have always wondered the same question,crash. Thank you tweaky. Reading that, i feel way more like you. Especially when you said "I tend to withdraw socially, feel too guilty, and tend to place blame on myself." Thats what I do. It's like WHY ME sometimes. . But I have anxiety so of course I think i have bi-polar. lol

Thank you Tweaky the information you have provided really helped. The bi polar commercial was pretty general in listing the symptoms without much detail. I see now the difference and Thanks again!

WOW...What a relief!...I have caught myself many times asking the same question.....Holly J and Crashdog, you are definitely not alone!

FYI: Bipolar disorder is also a mood disorder.