My mother just HAD to have been bipolar, because the woman had wild mood swings that make mine look tame by comparison. She was also an alcoholic who never acknowledged that fact and used doctor-prescribed amphetamines for years to stay slim, so that didn't help her moods one bit. She was inconsistent with discipline---sometimes when I committed major infractions of her many rules, she'd go "OK, well, I expect you not to do that again", while some of the minor ones drew three-hour screaming sessions and a week's confinement in my bedroom. (Which wasn't all that awful......my radio, TV, games, and books were in there.)

Now I have a 24-year-old son who will undoubtedly wind up being diagnosed, but otherwise I'm the only "certifiable" bipolar in the family. Gotta love being an original.