Stephanie McMurrich Roberts

Mixed episodes are manic or hypomanic episodes with three depressive symptoms occuring at the same time or a depressive episode with at least three manic/hypomanic symptoms occuring at the same time.

BPII is considered a biological illness because it is associated with structural and functional abnormalities in the brain.

BPII is also very much influenced by your environment and how you choose to respond to situations and events.

In other words, due to his or her biology, the person with BPII may have a lower threshold for tolerating negative events. For example, an individual with BPII is more likely to have negative thoughts when stuck in traffic, such as My friend is going to be so mad at me because I will be late, and act in potentially unhealthy ways, such as driving recklessly or canceling the meeting, and thus feel more negatively (e.g., sad, angry, disappointed).

the biological tendencies of the individual with BPII are interacting with the situation to create a more negative outcome.

you make big changes one small step at a time, with these steps often facilitated by rewards for previous ones.

they did not report fewer manic symptoms.

mania and hypomania tend to respond better or more quickly to medication as opposed to therapeutic intervention.

the best treatment for BPII is medication in addition to a skills-based therapy.

The skills taught as part of DBT help people learn to handle distress in healthier ways