Billtrick, Feel your confusion. My experience, if it helps. First, went to a therapist who seemed too quick to diagnose BP. From there was referred to a top tier psychiastrist after a few crazy times. Were they just 'me' being 'me'? Were they manic from a medical point of view? Dr. wouldn't tell me if I was BP for sure for a couple of YEARS. He said that it's a tricky diagnosis and shared your stats that only a small percentage of the pop was truly BP. He also put me on meds right away and I also had the side affects. Short term memory loss, trouble speacking, lethargic. I stuck with them, I trusted him. He was not wishy-washy, as it sounds like your dr. is. Only after about 2 years did I get him to divulge that I was most likely--90% BP2. He said it's tricky and needs monitoring and constant attention and I would need that for the rest of my life.

Moral of the story, my recommendation to echo those above, find a Dr. that you trust. If this is a marriage of sorts between you and your Dr., you MUST have faith. Though I will also say TRUST BUT VERIFY, which you are doing on this forum and so am I. If you have to date a couple of Dr.'s before getting married, by all means do so. It may mean dating a few, but if this is the rest of your life and telling your story over and over, it's worth it.

Hope this was helpful and good luck!