I don't think I really fit the classic definition of Bipolar. But I have done some really impulsive things. Some stuff that doesn't quite fit being "just" depressed.

Just going from the symptoms list:

I do NOT have any of these:
- Inflated self-esteem
- Decreased need for sleep
- Racing thoughts
- Distractibility

However, I DO get really impulsive sometimes. And my moods go from really depressed to just irritable and upset, very quickly. But I never really get "high" or "up".

When I am impulsive, I do crazy things and I'm not myself. I go on food binges. I meet strange men for sex. I spend a lot of money.

Those are supposedly "red flags" for bipolar....but I don't fit any of the other things. Just the impulsiveness, and the depression side.

How do I know what it really is? Is it possible to be bipolar if I don't have the other symptoms?

I have never really had trouble sleeping - either too much or too little. That is supposed to be a symptom with depression or bipolar, but I don't have it. What does that mean?

One of my craziest "episodes" happened a few weeks after I first started on antidepressants. Could it be that the meds pushed me into a manic state, but I am not really manic without the meds? If so....how would it be treated? How would I treat the depression?