Interesting the symptoms are virtually the same; it seems they just vary in severity, and I'm sure that severity varies person to person. I know everyone is different, but for me, sometimes it is just a matter of a very fine line, which makes things difficult. I suspect I'm bipolar II, though the pdoc has never told me the type; I really need to ask though there have been a couple times I narrowly avoided hospitalization from the mania (but I still think I am type II). I have been hospitalized for psych reasons but those were things like not sleeping (attributed to obvious anorexia and not bipolar) and paranoia, anxiety, and PTSD after being an accidental shooting victim. I usually sought help because I was depressed, and since then, haven't really left the psych system except to have a baby. I went right back postpartum; not sure if it was actual post-partum depression, BP depression or both combined. A baby is a huge life changer, especially when you get a colicky baby who doesn't sleep, the way my daughter was. She teethed very early (got her first tooth at 3 months), and I suspect that really affected the colic a lot.

Or I'd seek psych help for not sleeping. For some reason, even when hypomanic or manic, I do not like it when I cannot sleep, even if I don't feel I need the sleep, which I'm sure is not typical of most BP people. But then again, who wants to seek help, especially when feeling good with hypomania and not feeling flat or depressed? It just feels so much better.

I've been in the psych system since I was 19, and I'm 40 years old now. I was mis-diagnosed with major depression until around 7 or 8 years ago when I showed up for a pdoc appointment very obviously manic and was lucky to avoid hospitalization. My pdoc made it very clear that she would have preferred me in the hospital but gave me a couple days on some different meds and that combined with more extensive meds that caused me to be very tired and to sleep, brought the mania down.

But I can't work either, despite being an overachiever & getting top grades in school, college, and grad school. Every time I try to work, the BP very nearly lands me in the hospital. I think I probably could do a simpler job, but no one wants to hire someone with no work history except 2.5 years in grad school, and the M.S. makes me overqualified for less stressful basic jobs.