I agree that they diagnose it too quickly. It took 5 months of therapy and a 2 week manic episode with psychotic features before I was "officially" diagnosed. They still kept track of my moods and how I crashed at the end of the highs and that I didn't have constant mood swings to rule out bpd. I must admit they were very thorough and took their time which I appreciate because I feel like my diagnosis validates what I had been experiencing, not just a label to slap on quickly.

I also believe it has to do with the overlap with borderline even though the two are very different. If someone comes in saying they have mood swings they think they're bipolar, what kind of mood swings? one's that last weeks to months or ones that happen instantly due to an outside trigger?

Doctors are to quick to diagnose it, I'm sure quite a few are due to insurance reasons and personality disorders not being covered. If I were someone with borderline I'd want to know my diagnosis, how will they get better until they know the tools necessary to help them cope, dbt. It's really unfair to them in the end. Diagnosing takes time.