Hey PK...

Ahhh, the lovely diagnostic journey! I was treated for depression for nearly ten years before I crashed and wound up in the hospital. The pdoc there said when he released me that he didn't know whether I had depression or bipolar, but it didn't matter, he would treat me the same either way. Gee, thanks. I've come to the conclusion over the years that in a good number if not most cases the pdocs really can't say for sure what you have, so they pick the DSM criteria that sound best so they can justify the prescriptions they write. Then they keep trying things until you find relief. I know that sounds cynical, but they don't know how these meds work. Sometimes you are diagnosed by what meds give you relief.

Of course relief is what we're after, so I guess it doesn't matter. As far as your symptoms, the sleep thing sounds like it could be related, as well as the up and down moods. They don't sound serious, but could indicate some sort of "soft" bipolar. The grandiosity, you would know if you had had that. I've made a couple of ill-advised career moves due to that lol. Also the pressured speech. To me it's not like a regular can't shut up. For me there is a compulsion, a "pressure" that feels just that way. It's a pretty strange feeling.

Can't recommend psycheducation.org enough, especially for those of us who have something other than classis bipolar I. Hope some of this helps!