If you try that website I told you about in the bipolar forum (psycheducation.org/), he goes into great detail about mood stabilisers; how they work and side effect profiles etc. He also explains about reactions to antidepressants. He says that it can't hurt to try a mood stabiliser (although they have side effects like every drug), but responding positively is not diagnostic. As others have said, unipolar depression can respond to mood stabilisers too.

When I tried prozac it made me really mixed (although I didn't call it that at the time) and I had to come off it because I was very suicidal. Have antidepressants ever made you feel psychomotor agitation, extremely irritable or suicidal? Have they ever worked 'too well' causing manic symptoms? Does your depression episodes resemble bipolar depressive episodes more than unipolar depressive episodes e.g. psychotic symptoms, psychomotor retardation etc? All of these 'soft signs' of bipolarity are talked about on the website I mentioned.

As far as diagnosis goes, why are you feeling the need to have it down on paper - do you 'need' to know for whatever reason or do you just want appropriate treatment? If your pdoc is willing to prescribe mood stabilisers what does it matter what the label is if the treatment is available and works?? This guy says it's not about saying you're bipolar or not, but finding out if you're 'bipolar enough' to benefit from mood stabilisers. (My pdoc won't prescribe without the label and she doesn't agree with this guy's approach, although it is well-respected and found in many journal articles)

Check out that website and all the best,

*Willow*