Hi. I'm 57 and newly diagnosed with Bipolar II. I was diagnosed with Unipolar depression in 1987, and of course, the anti-depressants just made the hypomania worse.

If I had known at age 21, what I now know about myself, I could have avoided:

2 really bad marriages (and divorces)
4 really bad boyfriends
7 failed businesses
who knows how many credit card "max outs"
1 bankruptcy
1 car repossession,
and who knows what else.

I had absolutely no self-awareness about my self-destructive behavior, and in the process I hurt myself, my kids and my family.

Isn't "IF ONLY" two wonderful magical words? If only I could live my life over again, with what I know now .....