I met my GP yesterday for my follow-on appointment and turns out he hadn't actually made a formal referral and had just written to her and was expecting a response, which he hadn't received. Listening to me, he said he could make a referral, but might get refused as I don't meet the criteria.

He said usually in bipolar, the symptoms are far more serious with people swearing at people at work, or spending all their money or getting arrested and things that are quite extreme.

Appears my case will get rejected on the basis that my symptoms aren't that extreme. He said they might say I have some mild form of depression and that he could prescribe an anti-depressant, but if I indeed have bipolar, then they could have opposite effects.

Likewise, meds are great for bipolar, but also comes with side-effects.

He said he could refer me to a private psychiatrist, but that would be very expensive and I don't have private insurance cover.

I did ask for the private referral, so I can talk to a psychiatrist. Honestly, at this point, I don't know how many sessions will be required before they can make a diagnosis. And for sure, I way too expensive for me to afford on my own without insurance.

At this point, it looks like I am left with no other option than to cope/deal with this just on my own.

Not really looking for help, but just sharing.