I resisted the diagnosis at first, but mostly because I was in denial about my depression. Seriously, I didn't believe I ever got depressed. I justified my feelings by telling myself, "it's normal to feel sad sometimes; everyone feels this way". Then, of course, I hardly noticed my hypo/manic symptoms (*surprise surprise*). I just thought: "oh wow... my ADHD is acting up again." lol.

It actually took a while before my diagnosis really sunk in, but I appreciate the diagnosis a lot -- it hasn't derailed me one bit. In fact, it's helped me learn more about myself.

To be truthful, though, I've had BP symptoms for god knows how long. I developed my own coping mechanisms for the disorder without knowing its name or knowing precisely what was wrong with me. So the diagnosis hasn't really impacted me much... but I'm also 25 and I was officially Dx'ed last September when I was 24.. so my experiences might be a bit different from others' experiences.