I was 14 when I became majorly depressed. I started crying every day at school, staying up all night crying, and eventually, cutting. I saw my first psychiatrist and was diagnosed with major depression and put on antidepressants. The antidepressants caused mania. However, instead of pursuing a bipolar diagnosis at a young age (I guess), she kept the major depression diagnosis and lowered the antidepressant to a minuscule amount which, once the mania subsided, helped with the depression. I was better for only a short time until my sophomore year, at age 15, I became severely depressed, paranoid and psychotic. I was also raging, not sleeping, having major panic attacks, and having to leave school on a daily basis because I couldn't function (until I finally had to drop out and be home schooled the remainder of that year). I saw a different psychiatrist who after only a few visits diagnosed me with bipolar disorder. I was extremely volatile for a number of years until, at about 20, I thought I was healed because I was so much better (despite promiscuity, one night stands, rage, lack of sleep, over drinking, etc at that very time--whew the hindsight). I truly had no major breaks again until age 28. I had some moderate to, on one occasion, major depressions and some hypo manias but nothing happened that would have led me back to a psychiatrist until that psychopathic breakdown I had 3 years ago.