It's natural to have the questions that Blue Wave has, in my view. Did you all know that
93% of bipolar folks are never diagnosed or treated? So our group is part of the 7% who
are being cared for with medications and other things to improve quality of life.

My view is that there are too many folks out there who have untreated illnesses of all
kinds that could be helped if there wasn't so much fear attached to treatment. ( I think
it's the little child within that is so fearful.)

As for accurately diagnosing people with mental illness (particularly bipolar disorder),
Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison and her co-author of "Manic-Depressive Illness" both agree
that psychiatrists are often strongly challenged in their ability to diagnose properly
when patients present having problems with alcohol and other drugs. My own psychiatrist has confirmed this within the last three months.

Because doctors are human, they can make mistakes. But as a general rule, I would
say that I think they do an admirable job of trying to help people with personal problems and illnesses.