I had an idea as far back as my early 40s. But all I knew about bipolar at the time was that you had to take lithium for it, and I wanted no part of that because I knew the side effects. So I delayed going to a psychiatrist for years until my internist said I had something too serious for him to deal with. Still, it was a shock to be diagnosed BP at age 53, and bipolar 1 at 55. And I've never taken lithium to this very day. LOL