After my first panic attack when I was 19. I didn't know what was happening, and didn't know the reason I slept for hours and hours was because I was depressed. My GP put me on antidepressants, until I was hospitalized a few years later and mood stabilizers were thrown in. The bipolar part was diagnosed about 5 years later. Now I just make sure I am stable on my meds so that I can continue to function (aka keep my job and stay in school).
I always thought I was different from my adolescence. My diagnosis just confirmed it...