I originally was diagnosed with MDD. I knew I have done some impulsive crazy things when a teenager, including having boundless energy at times when young. When I look back at it now, many of the signs were there for Bipolar when very young. When I became older, there were episodes that disrupted work, mostly from depression. Then much more recently I lost two jobs in a row. This just does not happen to me. I did not understand what was happening to me. In particular, I did not understand the behavior of mine that lead to my job losses. So I started to investigate this. I then went to a couple pdocs that diagnosed me as Bipolar, including one with a reputation as being a specialist in this mental disorder. I tried to get back into consulting with a large law firm but I was not successful. I crashed. I could no longer work. I needed the money. Now I have been on SSDI for quite a while.

PS I even medicated myself with psychotropics before going to my first pdoc. I was successful to my surprise. However, I quickly decided I was taking unnecessary risks, so I then went to my first pdoc. This later proved to be a very wise decision.