Yes. It is part of the disorder.

You know what else? Mania and depression cause brain damage that your medications can protect you from. Unless of course you'd LIKE a heaping helping of recall problems, inability to organize, remember, or implement information, etc.

And you say "one-time thing!" Well...if you want to keep it that way, you should stay in your meds.

I'm no doctor, though I do think every patient has the right to be involved in the decisions about their treatment. So let's think about why you are being treated for bipolar. You had a manic episode, I take it? I say this because you can't diagnose someone as bipolar without the presence or history of at least one manic or hypomanic episode, although some clinicians will feel comfortable doing so based on your family history. Did you have a manic or hypomanic episode?

You may not be the best judge of that. We are notoriously ignorant of our own conditions when ill. So you'll need professional assistance especially since going off your meds is a medical process and decision you are not qualied to initiate. So how about these ideas you can do with your doc:

1. Write in detail about what happened that got you diagnosed. Try to include everything. It doesn't have to be "good." Just be as complete as possible. Then talk with your doc and/or therapist about how it compares to the DSM criteria for mania or hypomania. Do NOT skip this second part. Then...If the show fits, wear it.

2. Ask your diagnosing PhD why they put the Bipolar label on you and what they think about you going off your meds BECAUSE you think it will never happen again. Ask them if they agree. What they think would happen. How wise they think it is.

3. Remember every detail of what happened last time you tried to go off your meds. How you felt, what you were thinking, the specific actions you took that led to your hospitalization. You might even get those records and review them WITH your doc or therapist.

4. After you've done all those things and you still feel like you should go off your meds, write a list of reasons that support your going off and a list of reasons for staying on. Take both to your doctor. If s/he agrees that your diagnosis is incorrect or that this IS a one-time thing let her/him plan for exactly how you will safely get off your meds. Just stopping can--depending on what you're taking-- cause extremely harmful effects including seizures and death.

Did you notice that every one of these suggestions involves medical/psychiatric assistance?

I am personally hoping you won't go off your meds. I am thinking about your friend--who obviously cares about you and knows your history--and who saw how bad this decision turned out last time. I am hoping that if you decide it's the right thing to do, you do it with med/psych assistance and because you KNOW with complete certainty that the diagnosis is symptomatically and medically unverified/verifiable, not because you "feel" like this is a one-time thing.

All that said....please don't just go off your meds on your own. Please. You will be risking more than just an episode. You will be risking your life and future.

This is a HUGE decision that requires assistance, consideration, and education.

Good luck