<I cannot see the forest (myself) for the trees (bipolar label).>

What an eliquent way to put it!

I can understand your doc's point of view and I can appreciate my husbands point of view. Sometimes, putting labels on ourselves causes us to focus on that label and be blind to anything else that could possibly be wrong. I do get that. But, like you and others have said, having that label of bipolar disorder has given me some insight into why I did things the way I did.

I was raised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses (and am currently working at going back) and always thought that deep down in my heart, I was just a bad person. I stole constantly. I was a pathological liar and I just couldn't stop doing either. I even turned myself in, twice, for stealing from my previous jobs. Even after turning myself in, I continued to steal from my present job (at that time)!

Having that label, freed me! Having post traumatic stress disorder added to it, helped! I'm not saying that it answered everything... or excused anything. I still have to take responsibility for my actions, no matter the motivation. But I at least knew that I wasn't a bad person, I just had to work harder against the impulses that came to mind.