Thanks so much for these shares!

Miguel'smom and Nammu, it's terrible how long it takes to get properly diagnosed (and adequately helped) sometimes. I think it has improved in recent years. Do you agree? Miguel'smom, I'm glad you feel more stable. Perhaps with a little more time your motivation and energy will rise. It did for me.

Brentus, I also had issues with insight into my ups and downs of my youth. It's amazing how that can be "normalized" in ones brain. When people reacted to my behavior, for a long time I just saw it as unreasonable. It took me a while to really see it for what it was.

raspberrytorte, your experience was similar to my bipolar grandmother's. Her first major episodes were after my youngest uncle's birth. The fact that he had Down's Syndrome was also quite a stressor for her. I also relate to that (stress as trigger), similarly to Brentus.