I enjoyed (if that's the right word) your story SO much. I mean, I'm sorry you had to go through it, but you described it all very well, and much of it resonates with me. I was admitted in November to a free-standing psychiatric hospital which is affiliated with an enormous medical complex, and I was on their dedicated mental health ward. That was nice (right word?), but there were no classes at all; I guess bipolar people here don't need coping skills as much as medication adjustments, huh? There was no AA/NA on this ward, so i didn't have to listen to a lot of irrelevant material. Honestly, it was more interesting observing other patients anyway, who represented a fair cross-section of mental illness diagnoses.

But enough about me. I look forward to seeing your posts as you navigate through new territory. Sounds to me like you have lots of insight, and this should serve you well; on the whole, I would say that bipolar people research their condition more than others who suffer the indignities of mental illness. Like you, I'll have to sacrifice meals to pay for this most recent episode...I refuse to let my credit rating take a hit because I couldn't hold it together.

Duke has an excellent reputation! You should get top-tier care there and hopefully some stability. It came at a high price, for sure, but it'll be worth it.