I was diagnosed in my senior year of my undergraduate degree when I had my first big manic break right before my honors thesis defense. Somehow I pulled myself together and it faded back into hypomania and I rocked the thesis and graduated with honors, but I knew I had to go get help after that. I missed two weeks of school and all of my friends thought I had completely lost my mind or taken up meth or crack or something.

I fell into my worst depression ever after that manic episode. I had to move back in with my parents for 5 months while I got myself together. Then it lasted another 6 months or so after I moved back to my college town and got my own place again.