Welcome ruby57! If you are concerned you may have bipolar, I would suggest tracking your mood. There is a great free one online at http://www.medhelp.org/land/mood-tracker I am diagnosed Bipolar II and yes I do get hypomania from time to time and in general it just makes me very driven. It can also make me energetic, super duper happy, but it also can present as irritability. Full blown mania is more serious than hypomania and can include extreme agitation, grandiosity, and psychotic features and though I have never experienced it (BP II is a person who hasn't experienced mania) from what others have described it can be quite scary.

The majority of my symptoms have been major depression and this is how I was diagnosed. I finally got help at 31 for a 3 month long major depression and was put on a SSRI anti-d. This eventually put me in a mixed state. I attempted numerous times, but luckily during the last attempt I was found and was taken to a Psych hospital where I was committed. The first week I spent in lock down, but by the second week I woke up the Monday morning "happier than a pig in s****" Obviously my mood did not match the situation I was in. I was eventually diagnosed BP II while in hospital and my stay totaled 6 weeks.

I would suggest educating yourself on BP. When I was initially diagnosed I wanted my P-doc to "prove" to me that I had BP and I requested a brain scan LOL. By educating myself on the illness I began to see the pattern in my life and concluded the diagnosis fit. It does have a strong genetic component and my mom is also diagnosed (she has BP I). Another illness you may want to look into is cyclothymia. It is on the bipolar spectrum, but is considered the most mild form of bp. Left untreated it can turn into BP II, and BP II can also progress to BP I. I agree that the correct diagnosis is important because if left untreated the illness can become more treatment resistant. This unfortunately was my experience. I hope that helps and you can certainly post where ever you feel comfortable.