Just because her mom knows her doesn't mean she lives with her.

I'm bi-winning!

Exactly. :U -bipolar high five-

I'm bipolar and all the bipolar people I know are assholes except me. You also sound like an asshole. So does the submitter.

Being bipolar doesn't necessarily mean that you're a dick half the time, it just varies. Me for example, I'm just either manic and happy half the time, and then depressed and quiet. Sure, there's that irritability, but it's all about the personality of the person. So yeah, OP could possibly just be a bitch.

90% of Americans could be diagnosed for some mental disorder. The bipolar diagnosis is just a fix to your "super bitch half the time" personality flaw. it is your choice to either live with it or change it.

You don't know what the **** you're talking about. Bipolar people's brains are actually different from those of regular people. They're biologically unable to control themselves. It's like OCD and schizophrenia but not quite as severe. What you're thinking of is a mood disorder.

haha something about that made me lol

Jewelzgalore, do YOU know what you're talking about? Bipolar disorder IS a mood disorder. Kind of like how apples are fruit. There are unipolar mood disorders (major depression, dysthymia) and bipolar mood disorders (bipolar I and II and cyclothymia). Also, how can you say that bipolar is not as bad as OCD or schizophrenia? You can't really compare them, as they are completely different, and in their extremes, they can all be completely debilitating. banana_rama: I suspect you made that number up. Absolutely everybody (ie, 100% of people) will have symptoms of some sort of mental disorder or other. Kind of like how 100% of people will get a cold or skin their knee at some point in their lives. However, the criteria for making a diagnosis are pretty strict, so not everyone who has symptoms of a mental disorder will qualify for a diagnosis of the disorder. In reality, over the course of a lifetime, about 45-50% of the population will qualify for a diagnosis of a mental disorder. Keep in mind that this includes substance use disorders, like abuse and dependence. There is some evidence that certain disorders are overdiagnosed, such as ADHD and borderline personality disorder. However, bipolar is not one of them. Moreover, people with certain disorders really DO have trouble controlling their behavior and need treatment (medication AND therapy) to help them do that. I don't advocate using the disorder as an excuse to be a bitch, but neither would I be so foolish as to tell someone whose brain isn't working properly to just get over it without help. That would be like telling someone with epilepsy to just stop having seizures already: disrespectful and ignorant.

Or, she could've actually been suffering in the extreme highs and extreme lows this whole time. Sure, maybe 90% could be diagnosed with something, but some people are really suffering with severe depression. Stop being so ignorant

No need for such long comments....

#6 wins!

Bipolar is one of the hardest disorders to detect and diagnose, particularly because it is often mistaken for other things (depression, ADHD, schizophrenia), particularly in adolescents whom everyone expects to be moody, or if you have bipolar II or cyclothymia rather than full-blown rapid-cycling bipolar I. Plus, the OP clearly has sought help if she now has a diagnosis. It's not her mom's fault it took this long, but it's not her fault either.

#17 I agree, I have bi-polar II as well as borderline personality disorder. If one doesn't know anything about them I just come off as a moody, selfish bitch

Do you have a "disease"... or just a shitty attitude?

Me too #18. i loathe it.

I don't need a disorder to be an asshole. ;)

I agree with you. I also have bi-polar II (since I was 2yrs old) and borderline personality disorder. And off medication I am a very difficult person to be around. Moody as hell and unpredictable. I can be happy as all hell and hyper, life of the party, and then I can snap into super bitch and then into the person who wont get out of bed for days and wants to die. It is a killer hard disorder actually disorder(s) to live with and manage since medications constantly have to be adjusted as your body and brain get used to them and and they stop being effective. I wasn't diagnosed until I was...24 I think...I had to go through hell and back to get the proper diagnosis but going through my life history the signs were there right into my toddler years...yay life :P . But no that you have the diagnosis, get the help, it is hard as hell to get the right med combo and dosage but worth it and the pysch help too, makes all the difference in the world. Actually makes concentrating, looking forward to life and a future and achieving things so worth it.

Argh stupid thing wouldn't let me edit, i meant to add I agree with #17 for my post

I sought help myself, too, for a depression. Turns out I'm autistic.. Yay?

Just because it took this long to get a diagnosis doesn't mean she never went to a doctor. Read Madness by Marya Hornbacher. She was in and out of hospitals being treated for all kinds of things (eating disorders, substance abuse, depression) before she was properly diagnosed with bipolar.

it takes an average of 7-10 years for a diagnosis of bipolar disorder to be made. many people with bipolar disorder seek treatment for their depression first. it can take a few years for the doctor and patient to realize something else is going on. it took me 6 years to be diagnosed. from age 17 to 23. my parents even suggested to my doctor when i was 17 that i might be bipolar. the doctor dismissed it to teenage moodiness.

mine took about 7 years blah

http://tinyurl.com/am5x6h

bipolar disorder is also known as manic depressive disorder, it manifests as mood swings between periods of mania (feelings of high energy and euphoria) and depression

it's defined as a medical condition that is characterized by bouts of mania and depression, which basically means that sometimes you're up, and sometimes you're down, like normal people, but when you're up, you're UP and all that matters is staying happy and having fun, and when you're down you're DOWN and nothing matters at all