FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Borderline Personality Disorder is one of the ten personality disorders recognized by the American Psychiatric Association, and although it shares some overlapping symptoms with Bipolar disorder, the two are different.  Dr. Lilianna Yeun is a clinical psychologist with Community and says each diagnosis can be life-changing, but with the right therapy and treatment, patients can live normal lives.  Click here for more MedWatch Today Click here for Community Medical Center's homepage "One of the main symptoms is fear of abandonment," said Yeun. "Another one is something we call splitting, sort of like black-and-white thinking." Dr. Yeun explained that "splitting" is a symptom where a patient can only think in polar opposites where things are either good or bad and there is no room for in-between.  "So someone is, you know, maybe a therapist, for example, is like the most talented, best therapist in the world," she said. "And then they do something, you know, a small thing that the patient doesn't like, and suddenly they're the worst person in the world." Many who have been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder have experienced some sort of trauma or abuse.  Bipolar Disorder shares some similarities to Borderline Personality Disorder but there are some differences.  There can be manic episodes or impulsivity in patients who have been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.  "So people are very kind of distractible jumping from one thing to the next impulsive," she said. "So they often think they're, you know, very special or talented or that they  are going to be president one day or something like that." The similarities between both are depressive episodes, the difference however is how long the episode lasts.  "I think one of the big difference factors is the time length and the severity of borderline personality disorder. You’re gonna have mood swings, but it’s sort of these ups and downs, the day every day, frequent shifts," she said.  Dr. Yeun says there are treatments and medications for both, and with the right treatment, the patient can live a long and symptom-free life.