I don't question being Bipolar because all of the evidence is there, and I've been diagnosed by three pdocs. But I've been stable for about 2 years now and I consider myself "in remission." I'm not sure if that even exists in the context of Bipolar, but that's the way I see it. I know I need to keep taking my meds to continue to be in 'remission.' I see the BP as being quiet, there in the background, not rearing its ugly head, but waiting for its chance to come out. So I need to be careful and get on a good, consistent sleep schedule (which is easier said than done for me); If I start to feel overwhelmed, I seek the help of my support system and use my coping strategies.

If it helps at all, my pdoc who specialized in BP told me once that she had lots of patients who were stable for 10+ years and that this wasn't unusual at all. So being stable doesn't mean you don't have BP or never had it, just that it's not active at the present time. But, in my opinion, if you want to STAY stable, you need to keep taking your meds and continue using your coping mechanisms.