Interesting - it seems like a lot of us around here take a combo of mood stabilizers and antidepressants. Which kind of antidepressant can make a huge difference in whether it causes mania for you. For me, SSRIs always made me flip out, SNRIs didn't seem to do a whole lot but didn't turn me into a lunatic, but NDRIs (Wellbutrin) are the bees knees when it comes to helping with low moods. And then there are the tricyclics and so on.

Anyway, it seems like there are a lot of options that can work without causing mania, depending on the individual - maybe worth trying to bring up again in the future.

And I hear you on being blindsided with therapy; my prescribers won't prescribe if I'm not in therapy. I frankly do not understand this; when I'm properly medicated, I'm way more self-aware, insightful, and well adjusted than the average bear. They did tell me I need better coping skills for when I'm depressed, but I'm really not sure that there's anything more I can do because I figured out an awful lot of that stuff without any help. But whatever. I go along with it because I definitely need meds.