hi-
I'm 16 years old and "self-diagnosed" bipolar, I know that it isn't a smart idea, but I want to wait until I'm 18 before I take any action, so I can have total privacy.
Anyway,
I heared once someone say that a cousin of mine was bipolar, but that was his ex (they have a beautiful 5yr old girl) and I didn't take her seriously, because the little girl is a beautiful, well behaved intelligent lovely girl, but her mother claims she has ADHD, Hearing problems, Bipolar, Sensory disorder, Anger issues, Speech issues, so on and so forth. The little girl has a hearing aid, and she has told me that she doesn't need it, it helps her hear better but she has no problem without it. anyway- I was about to go on a rant about how she's perfectly normal, but I'll save you the long speech- I know that bipolar is thought to be largely genetic, and also that it can be related to thyroid issues, I might have a bipolar cousin, and the other day my dad's doctor office called to let him now his thyroid levels where sky high and he needed to get back on his thyroid medication that he stopped taking. My cousin is from my mother's side, so I'm wondering about the possibilities that I have bipolar on both sides of my family, since my dad's side has thyroid problems (I know they aren't necesarily related) and supposedly my mom's nephew is bipolar (but that is very much questionable) I kknow thyroid problems and bipolar aren't necesarily related, but what are the chances? My dad's side of the family is HUGE and a lot of them (particularly the older generation) are a bit closed minded when it comes to medical care (like my dad was convinced that he had no thyroid problem, the doctors just wanted more money from him) so I imagine psychiatric care must be out of the question for them- what, in your opinion, are the chances that there IS bipolar disorder in my family? unno:

**Edit to add sidenote** I also thought I'd mention that it is impossible to know for sure (especially for you guys who know me only online) and that only a profesional can make an acurate diagnoses (most of the time), but I was just wondering what your thoughts and experiences might be with this.