Q. I am doing research to try to help my sister who I believe suffers from some type of bipolar personality disorder. My question is, can BPD be associated with forms of Munchauser's syndrome and bipolar behavior also? Aside from fitting all the criteria of Gunderson and Kolb's DIB-R assessment, it seems she also has symptoms of Munchauser's types of behavior. She definitely can perceive reality; while she tells people outlandish stories, she's very careful to keep friends/people separate. For instance, while she may tell someone she used to race cars, she would never tell that to me or other members of our immediate family because she knows that it's not true. She also has substance abuse problems and was recently brought to the E.R. for a "suicide" attempt. I want to get help for her but we live on opposite sides of the country. In the last year, she has been treated for Lymes disease, ovarian cancer, blood clots, etc. etc....it's one disease after another. Any idea where to start?

A. It is possible to get all kinds of symptoms together as well as diagnoses together. Start by treating the BPD. The others should get better by the same treatment.