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As someone mentioned, I think it would be helpful if people knew just how rare this disorder is. I think it's occurrence is a little over 1%. This means that some 98-99% of the population does not have it and sometimes I feel like screaming this statistic from the rooftops.
Being 'moody' is part of the human experience. Sometimes people are down, sometimes up, sometimes irritable, sometimes angry, sometimes anxious, etc... and some people experience their moods more intensely than others. But as far as I'm concerned, none of this has anything to do with bipolar disorder.
I think part of this whole phenomenon that people are talking about on this thread of everyone and their grandmother claiming bipolar or saying someone else is has a lot to do with feeling uncomfortable with not having a rational, concrete reason behind emotions and moods and seeking this out. On the other hand, there can be a lot of shame surrounding mood and behavior and I think this can also lead people to diagnose themselves (and others): in some ways (despite the stigma), such a diagnose may lead to less shame, there's a 'reason' for it, it's the brain, not my fault, etc. And the criteria, it all depends on how you interpret it, and how you (want?) to interpret your own experiences and behavior (or that of others).
I think at the end of the day, there is a great deal of ambiguity when it comes to the human experience, and ambiguity can be hard to tolerate --maybe it's in part cultural, I don't know. And/or this particular point in history. Often times, there just aren't any hard and fast answers. And that's one of the reasons why the DSM gets transformed into a bible, even if different mental health professionals (not to mention patients and others) interpret it in so many different ways...
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