A person with BPII will experience major depression more often than hypomania. Part of the reason your mood may be so labile is from your post it doesn't sound like you were on a med for any length of time. It does take time for meds to get to a therapeutic level and then it takes time to see if a med is going to work for the person. It's very frustrating, but unfortunately many of us have had to go through the trial and error process.

For me it took time for me to discover what a stable mood was. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 31, but had lived with symptoms since I was 8. I assumed everyone was highly driven (this was hypomania for me) and then would burn out (major depression for me) and the cycle continually repeated itself. I have been diagnosed since 2007 and I feel much more at peace with myself. The meds won't take away all the symptoms, but my highs aren't as high and my lows aren't as dangerous.

Unquiet Mind was okay, but I found it depressing and I couldn't relate to her experiences with the illness. If you're looking for a biography type I preferred The Up and Down Life by Paul Jones. He was a stand-up comic, so it's not a doom and gloom look at bipolar.

I hope you're feeling better soon.