I'm a 49 year old Jewish, lesbian, US Veteran with bipolar... yeah, we are all individuals with differences about ourselves as well as our ages.

Saw something the other day that grabbed me about the bipolar diagnosis... it takes so long to diagnose because our pdocs don't see us all that frequently and it is hard to diagnose behavior within that 50 minute time frame every few months. It's hard to catch for sure. You almost have to show up in a manic state to be diagnosed. Me, I just went to jail for shoplifting (and didn't need to steal) when I was diagnosed.

It takes a while, but once you are on the right treatment for you, it feels so much better doesn't it?

Although we may have a base, the people you have stuff in common with will come and join you in things (like this here thread).

Hope this helps.