Hi Brian!
Yes, this is true.
I am wondering from your posts if these patterns that you have seen have been happening in the 10 years you've been on ADs or did they precede it as well? (I couldn't quite work that out in the reading, but I've been scattered.)
Reason I ask is that, while a manic reaction to ADs can certainly be one of the things that can point to BP, for some people, the manic-y symptoms appear only because of a medication (ie. "substance-induced mood disorder"). In terms of diagnostics, symptoms need to be NOT attributable to a substance or other condition that explains the symptoms in order to count towards a BP dx.

Since this and many other things can cause symptoms that look like BP, it can be tricky to diagnose. Perhaps he is just not prone to coming to a quick conclusion, which is a good thing. The last 10 years have been "influenced" so to speak, so the net needs to be cast wider and further back, and that just takes some time and thought. Sounds like you are looking back, family history and all that, so that is good.