You are the expert on YOU. That makes you the expert on your bipolar disorder and I think it is really important to be able to identify where you are. My therapist and I don't always agree (and then we just agree to wait a week because we'll know for sure by then) but I always have an opinion and because I've been encouraged to learn my warnings I've gotten a lot better at getting help ASAP when things shift. Last summer I felt things shift rapidly and knew I was heading for mania without much time hypo so I emailed my pdoc at 3AM asking if I could increase my AP for a few days to try to stop it. She wrote back at 9AM to do it and this stopped the mania immediately and the only side effect from the 4 days increase was fatigue that lasted about a week. I've caught 2 episodes in a row that fast and I haven't had a major episode in a long time.

FWIW both my pdoc and therapist have strongly encouraged me and helped me to know my own illness.