I have bp2. I consider it milder than bp1 because I know that I'll never be losing total touch with reality - that's just not something I consider a risk. I know that I won't totally destroy my life in the grips of a mania.

My depressions? Yes, they are hell. They are soul-crushingly hellish sometimes and I almost didn't survive some of them.

But I can hide all of that from others. You can't hide the manias. So I consider what I experience to be more mild than someone with bp1.