Interesting discussion.

The article gives a realistic example.

"Those last few words are key: lacks substantial capacity … to conform the person’s conduct. For example, say I have bipolar disorder and am having a manic episode. Because of the chaos currently running rampant in my brain, everything I do feels slow. Everyone else seems slow. Drivers seem slow. My thoughts are racing so fast I can’t keep up. I find myself driving 90 miles an hour in a 60 mph zone. Do I know the nature of the act? Certainly: I’m speeding. Do I know that it is wrong? Yes, I do. Can I slow down? Not if my life depended on it. I cannot conform my conduct to the requirements of the law. That’s the nature of mania: I don’t control it. It controls me. Just as much as a paranoid schizophrenic’s delusions tell her to do something, my manic impulses force my hand".

You are obviously searching for answers to why you have acted out of character in the past.

There are some lawyers, however, who said that using the bipolar defense as part of a larger strategy can work well. Bipolar disorder can have so-called jury appeal if the sufferer has a long and well-documented history of aberrant behavior coupled with requests for institutional help.