Excellent question. People with severe mood disorders usually don't have good insight into their illness. The illness becomes you and that's how you live your life day to day. It's like a syndrome. It took me decades to figure out what exactly was going on in my head, what triggers me, etc. And Mental Health Professionals certainly didn't help (and many didn't try or want to help).

I always knew something was wrong (and others did, too) but I didn't know what it was and just tried to push forward with all of my dysfunctionality and shortcomings. My attention has always been split: half of me trying to manage my symptoms and half of me trying to get on with my life. That takes a lot out of me.

Try to find a good Doc who will listen and is intelligent (and with zero hangups). Took me 20 yrs to find a Doc like that. Good luck - Rob