It has been in my mind for some days, that my former post on this thread perhaps could be misunderstood (I have had my own problems to cope with and have not been fit to try to explain what I meant). So I want to add to it: I don't have a negative attitude to American therapists, but I have family members with the right education whom have told me that behind the word "therapist" in the USA, there can be persons with different length of education and different qualifications My intention, by bringing it up, was only informative. Check up what education your therapist has, before you chose one.


My relatives have also told me that the diagnosis "Bipolar disorder" was a popular one some years ago. When therapists didn't understand the problems of their depressed clients, they started to put them in the category of "Bipolar disorder". To say something more about that: You can trust your diagnosis (Bipolar disorder) if you know you have had a period of "Mania" or "Hypomania" in your lifetime. Only one episode of Mania is enough to become diagnosed with "Bipolar disorder". As said earlier, Bipolar disorder is a lifelong disorder, but not every one have more than the first episode. But since it is a probability to have a new episode, it is wise to have a written plan somewhere to pick up when that episode eventually occurs, so help can be established as fast as possible, and you know how to handle it yourself as well. But please, never go around waiting for the next episode. To try to live in the here and now, is a good way to make the best out of life, either one has this or that diagnosis. People are always more than their diagnosis. We are all persons with different qualities to offer to the world we are living in.

If there are people here that never have had "Mania" or "Hypomania", it may be wise to question if one is diagnosed correctly as "Bipolar".

Lastly: My "invitation" to check DSM 5 at the Library, was not meant as a general "make your own diagnosis". It was meant for people in the same situation as @Moose72. If one already has had "Mania" or "Hypomania" (that not occurred in relation to alcohol or drugs), it is a false hope to believe that the Symptoms of Bipolar disorder will never come back. So be prepared, but try to enjoy life as it is now. In general life will probably be better with good therapy, but as already said, there is no guarantee that an episode will never come back. And yes, therapy can be hard, so it is wise to continue if one feels that it helps even if it is hard. (I felt it was very hard when I had "a look into your past" therapy when I was a student, but I stood in it. The only thing I have to complain about is that it gave me few tools to handle symptoms. Luckily, I made my own tools at that time, so I survived)

I send good wishes to all who are in therapy, especially to those who goes in "uncover your past"-therapy.