Thanks for all the suggestions; they are all quite good. And I'm happy to report I'm 55.5 % better today.

There is no one in my life I feel comfortable telling this stuff to so I'm telling you. Lucky you, eh? Anonymously seems to be the only way I can bare my soul. Things have been generally fine-except when they're not. Everything seems to be going just swimmingly and then along comes one day which so thoroughly derails you as to almost negate your existence up until that moment. I know that all of you know of what I speak, I've read your posts rather keenly and am grateful for the feedback.

I've met some pleasant, insightful therapists over the years. But inevitably I find myself soft-selling my ailment, or anticipating the responses and responding not naturally, freely but as if I am following some script.
I have never been particularly free with my emotions. And I realize the point of therapy is to unlock that log-jam of the mind but I have ever been too impatient to give anyone more than a cursory look at my soul, so to speak. So, as always, I keep my own counsel...and, as you can see, suffer for it. Woe is me.

I do regret the PHD dig. Perhaps I was thinking of a few therapists in my history....However I'm sure the empathetic PHDs on this forum are wise enough to know when a fellow's gone "bi-polar"- or is simply having an off day. And also recognize that any clinical approach (to anything) needs to be tempered with wisdom that cannot be arrived at in any academic setting. This from an amateur scholar.