I was diagnosed with bipolar when I was 35. There are times when I wish I had been diagnosed earlier in life, but I think there was a reason for that. I'm glad I didn't have to go through the mental health system back then. There was such a huge stigma attached to people with mental health problems. When I was first diagnosed it was a relief, but as the years went by I started to wonder if I really was bipolar. Of course it was usually when I was manic and thought everything was just FINE. Now that I am older (52) I have accepted myself for who I am, bipolar and all. Learning to not care what others think of you is key. They have their problems too. No one is perfect! If you got to be a head-camera and follow one of your friends for a few days you would see that there are things in their life that are hard for them. Maybe they aren't bipolar, but maybe someone in their family has mental problems, or they have a child with a disability, or numerous other things I can think of. Each of us is completely different from the other, and yet we judge ourselves and others as if we are all the same. As long as we are not hurting another we should show our personality and revel in being different! 
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"A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water!" Eleanor Roosevelt
"Each of us is completely different from the other, and yet we judge ourselves and others as if we are all the same." Gruvingal
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