I was diagnosed a month or so ago. I have had bipolar for 16 years, and it has caused some problems for me. I failed out of grad school, my parents have no idea why I can't just snap out of it. Of course if my folks had believed that mental illnesses were real I wouldn't have cycled for so long without help.

I am trying to find meds that work for me. At first it was thought I just had depression, so I was given Zoloft. That sent me to the worst hypomania ever...and I bet I would have went full on manic if I hadn't decided that Zoloft was to blame for making me feel that crappy (WAY too anxious,and I knew the symptoms of mania from nursing school...I was really scared). Then I tried Lithium and Lamictal...which was working...but then I had a rare reaction to lamictal that could have killed me. Just Lithium for right now, but it is not helping the depression very well.

Let's hold on to hope together, okay?