I was treated for unipolar depression for about 35 years & was diagnosed with bipolar 1 about 5 years ago. My mother had bipolar (anyone in your family have it?--there's a strong genetic component). My manias were not out of control--just feeling really, really good, becoming very active, loads of self-esteem, spending money like crazy, full of great ideas, some agitation, pacing--couldn't keep still, sleeping only about 3 hours a night but feeling like I didn't need any more sleep, etc. Since I didn't have a full-blown mania I wondered why I was classified with bp 1 instead of 2. It is because I had a mixed episode & had delusional thinking while depressed (paranoia, irrational thoughts).

Now that I'm on meds for bipolar I'm so much better. All those years I kept trying different AD's & they would work for about 6-8 weeks (actually send me into a hypo mania), then I would crash into another deep depression. I was going to my family doc for this. When I was finally sent to a pdoc, that's when my true dx came out. So, yes, you can have depressive episodes most of your life & out of the blue have a manic or hypo manic episode which then would classify you as bp.

Good luck. Be patient with finding the right meds. Took me about a year to find the right combo.--Suzy