I am diagnosed with bipolar 1, severe with psychotic features. I can quote my diagnosis because I just read my chart from my previous pdoc; that was interesting.

I had an extremely sexual relationship with one of my closest girl friends that lasted about a year (from about 10 to 11); we sometimes would size up and then include (or not include) some of our friends in the sexual activities. I was very traumatized by this but couldn't stop because, well, it felt good obviously and because I was an adolecent. I am certain this is not the cause of my Bipolar as there are clear genetic components, but it set the tone for depression and guilt in my life.

I left a highly sheltered eigth grade class of about 27 people (if I remember correctly) and entered a highly unrestricted freshman class of about 450 people. I am generally strongly affected by change and this in particular change was the biggest of my life. It was distressful at the least. I began crying daily. Eventually I started to SI and started loathing myself. It was at the discovery of the SI that my mother sent me to a psychiatrist and I was diagnosed with MD.

After a year of hell for both my family and me, someone suggested a new pdoc to my mom. This new pdoc reviewed my symptoms, monitored me, and diagnosed me with BP. Of course, it took years (about 4) for me to feel better. But, I began to feel so much better that I decided I had either been incorrectly diagnosed or I had been healed. I had 8 years of what I thought to be stability. In hidsight, I had episodes, especially of depression and including a major postpartum depression. At 28, I gave my video testimony to be included in a popular Bible study. Reliving my past and knowing that it would be out there for the world to see was both distressing and ego boosting. It was majorly stressful. The stress from this event, I believe, caused my psychotic break. I became insanely manic within months. I was extremely hyper religious and, eventually, psychotic. This episode, which started wonderfully then turned into a bad, bad, bad episode, lasted about 6 months. That was about 3 1/2 years ago and I have hardly been stable since. I have spent most of my time depressed but I have bounced from bouts of mania to infrequent stability.

Anyway, that's my story. Thanks for the thread!