I mostly agree with Venus and Anneinside about self-control, with a few extreme limited exceptions. I do agree that no matter if you were or were not in control that you are responsible for what you did and I feel that apologies and amends are most definitely in order with maybe an explanation but without any excuse that downplays behavior.

BP is hard for someone to understand when they don't have it, it can be hard understand when you do have it. Many can't fully comprehend what all happens during an episode since they don't have similar personal experiences that they can make the connection with. Or the person may make a connection with something they feel is similar, even though it's not, and then expect that since they are able function certain ways during that experience then a person with BP should also be able to function the same way during a episode. Asking someone without BP to fully understand what it is like having BP is like asking someone what it is like to be a victim of a violent crime when you weren't or what it is like to have your legs amputated while you still have them. People can guess, but only someone going through the experience knows. As we expect people to have patience in us for what we are dealing with, we have to have patience with them since they may only have our experiences to teach them and none of their own to learn from.