Assuming you don't have a medical degree, I'd trust your doctor for the dx -- it is a hard one to accept, yes, but you have to eventually, if all the signs are there.

The fact that antidepressants made it worse instead of better is another sign that you are bipolar -- a-d's generally (but not always) have that effect on bipolar folks.

There is a broad spectrum of bipolar and symptoms can vary from person to person; however, I don't think brain scans show anything and would be terribly expensive anyway. Better to save them for the people who need to learn if they have brain tumors and other life-threatening stuff.

Plenty of us here to talk to -- keep posting. Also see the quizzes section of this site -- you can take bipolar, mania and depression quizzes, among others, and keep track of your scores over time. That's often useful for your care providers.

CB