Is this normal behavior for a bipolar person?

My friend "Amy" is bipolar. I've been friends with her for about ten years. I know she is bipolar because she has told me herself, several times. She displays the classic "depression" and "mania" symptoms.

But, she also displays other weird behaviors, and I cannot find information on whether or not they are normal for a bipolar person. I'll list a few examples of the odd behaviors she's displayed over the ten years I've known her...

(Note: these instances take place between high school graduation and being in our mid-twenties.)

* She once went through a phase where she was irrationally afraid to use the city bus, because the people who rode it were "too scary." This being in a small, peaceful, midwest town, where the "worst" people you'd meet on the bus are maybe a smelly guy who hits on you, and a disabled person who makes you uncomfortable. (At this point, neither me nor "Amy" could drive, so her refusal to use the bus caused extra havoc when we tried to plan outings together.)

* She once wore an obvious, fake-looking wig for a few months, to hide a "bad haircut." The haircut was perfectly normal looking, chin-length, but she decided it made her "look like a boy." Her co-workers asked her why she was wearing a fake looking wig, and she explained to them that she HAD to. The wig slowed her down when crossing streets and walking, as it was liable to fall off, and she often wore a hoodie over it. It seemed like she was trying to be incognito, for some reason. It was overall very odd.

* At least one time we were walking down the street, and she saw an ex-boyfriend and quickly said "We can cross here!" and tried to J-walk across the street, without looking for cars.

* She went through a phase where she was calling me on the phone EVERY SINGLE DAY, to talk about NOTHING. When I told her I couldn't talk, she always asked "Are you mad at me?"

* Most recently she's been addicted to texting. A few months ago I got a phone with a texting plan and she began spamming my phone DAILY with texts. (We are both in our mid-twenties at this point.) I told her four or five times that I could not and would not text daily and she would act super-offended. Then when I apologized for sounding harsh, she would take that apology to mean that she can go right back to doing it. It got so bad that I was missing texts from family, because my phone was text-beebping CONSTANTLY. So I had to tell my parents that texting was not a good way to reach me...due SOLELY to this ONE friend.

* I finally lied and said that my family couldn't afford texting except from each other anymore, then blocked her number. Immediately after she went to Face Book and began spamming my Face Book page as she did my phone before.

* Face Book. Years ago, she stopped using it altogether, because of an argument she and another friend had. She almost seemed to have a phobia of Facebook as she did with the bus years before. Now that she is using FaceBook again she is using her roommate's profile instead of her own (despite having TWO of her own profiles). It is overall very bizarre.

* She exaggerates her problems with other people, often making them out to be abusive, leaving out crucial details. (For example, she once claimed that a boyfriend was "emotionally abusive" by calling her a "slut," but failed to mention that she cheated on him.) It is a pattern with her, that a boyfriend or co-worker or roommate who for all the world seemed like a totally normal, nice person was "secretly abusing her."

* She's become VERY immature about "friendship." Recently she declared me her "best friend" (again, we're in our 20s). I told her "You're ONE OF my best friends" (which is true). But lately she's using the "you're my best friend" excuse to guilt-trip me into talking to her every day.

* "Amy" has a toddler daughter, who seems to spend a lot of time living with "Amy's" parents. Trying to find out how often and why this is the case is like pulling teeth.

................Now as I said, this friend is supposedly *bipolar.* The thing is, I have been reading about Borderline Disorder, and it seems to fit a lot of her behaviors. So I am wondering if these behaviors are just common in both disorders, or if it's possible my friend has been misdiagnosed?

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Based on 20 votes (10 yes)
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Comments ( 16 )
  • deshikd

    Yes, all of these behaviors could be linked to bipolor disorder, but it is possible she has another disorder. Bipolar disorder and Borderline disorder do overlap in some places, so a misdiagnosis is also possible. The best thing for her would be to see another doctor, and get another professional opinion on the matter.

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  • Ellenna

    You're a very good and patient friend to her and it's sad, but she probably doesn't even realise how lucky she is to have you

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  • GodofWisdom

    Mis-diagnosis. This is not bi-polar. See a professional for true diagnosis.

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  • Doesnt sound that abnormal to me. I know lots of people who do that stuff.

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  • sillygirl77

    It sounds like you're over-obsessed with this friend.

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    • jAcObAsSeTt

      No she's just explaining everything. This annoys me when people criticize someones long post. Sometimes people have a lot to say. Just because you don't and you don't know how to read don't criticize others.

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      • Zonfire80

        She should do the same thing to her.

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      • sillygirl77

        I didn't criticize it because it was long. I wrote what I wrote because of WHAT she wrote!

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        • jAcObAsSeTt

          Really? Everything to wrote seems to point to her friend being obsessed with HER if anything. Can you cite an example for us so we know what you mean?

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          • sillygirl77

            The mere fact that she's so hung up on the behavior.. drop the friend and stop obsessing about the friends crazy behavior. A normal person wouldn't take all that shit IMO. I have a right to my opinion and you have a right to yours.

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    • SHE's been over-obsessed with ME for the last few months. It's been creepy.

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  • Zonfire80

    She could have bipolar and something else.

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  • Arm0se

    I think she has something else.

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    • So it's not just me then.

      If you don't mind my asking, do you have experience with bipolar disorder? I only ask to see how informed the opinions I'm getting are.

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      • Arm0se

        Well, I'm not an expert. It could be a great number of things, but I'll do my best to narrow it down for you.

        In no particular order:

        "She exaggerates her problems with other people" She could be autistic, she could be an attention whore, or just likes to blame everyone else for here failures.

        "She's become VERY immature about friendship." Again, some form of autism, or maybe she simply doesn't have very many friends, doesn't know how friendships work, and you really are her best friend. She could also be trying to use you to get what she wants, don't tell me "oh but we've been friends for a while". Doesn't matter, she could have been doing this for a while you just didn't see it.

        "she saw an ex-boyfriend and quickly said "We can cross here!" and tried to J-walk across the street, without looking for cars." She sounds aut-.... She tried to drag you across a busy street without looking for cars? Eh.... This girl is freaking crazy, you know that right?

        "has a toddler daughter, who seems to spend a lot of time living with "Amy's" parents." Based on everything else you've told us I'm not surprised. She sounds like an unfit parent.

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        • Zonfire80

          I have aspergers and bipolar disorder. It's possible to be diagnosed as both, and don't fucken tell me it's not.

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