One key thing to remember is that most people do not seek assistance for various reasons - if you don't go to the doctor, you can't get diagnosed. And unless you end up in a situation where you need to be hospitalized, then no one can force you into getting a diagnosis or help.

My Bipolar? Is very much functional - I hide it well and my lapses in judgement are pretty minor. My depressions are more obvious, and they were what I finally decided to get help for. Tried to avoid the bipolar diagnosis but I had to talk about that once the straight anti-depressants sent me into the longest and most severe hypomania I've ever dealt with.