I was 18, in my second year at a military academy. I was at the top of my game and at the top of my class. Then I became severely depressed, and the bottom fell out. I stopped studying and eventually dropped out. Although I completed my education at one of the best schools in the country, resigning from the academy has always haunted me. It is the one moment I go back to when evaluating my life. I had many depressive episodes after that, but it wasn't until I was a little over 40 that I realized that I was bipolar.