Detection is hard. There is no test for BP. No exray or lab result that says you have it.

Some people are good at covering it up and not even be aware they are doing it. (that was me) Some learned coping skills that helpd them deal with it naturaly. The channel the mania into positive activities and only the deperession shows, so they get a depression diagnosis instead of BP

Early detection can also be hard for teens. The line between teen angst and BP can be very thin.

It is all very subective.

I believe that everyone is a little bipolar...some of us have it worse than others.

People are different...and usually it takes something traumatic to bring it out (I think). That's what it was for me anyway.

In sessions with my therapist we figure that I probably had BP as early as 12 or 13. I had all the symptoms, just hid it and never got help. It wasn't until I was 24 that I really broke down to the point that there was no hiding it. I was studying theology full time, working full time and trying to support a wife and two children. Gee, wonder why I broke.

I am 34 and just learned of it. Took several awful life events to get me to find out if there was something wrong with me. I covered my bad days all my life because that is what I was taught to do by my abused mother.

Not sure the symptoms are the same for everyone and I am more than sure that there are different degree's of it.

I'm 22 and was undertaking CBT for depression. It was the 4th time I got depressed in 5 years. Everytime I get depression I try to hide it but end up loosing interest in my job/study and loose all my friends. I didn't want that to happen this time so I saw a physchologist for the first time.

While we were talking I mentioned that I wondered how I would be after i recovered form depression because I seem to change everytime. Her head snapped up and she said "how do you mean change?" and the ball got rolling from there.

Bipolar 2.

Ive thought about this a lot.I think a few people i know of have it.Just things you here about them,the things they do and way they act.I can see a lot of myself in them.They probably wouldnt think for one minute i had it and that my life is "normal".I dont associate with the people im talking about but sometimes,one guy in particular,i would love to just ask him! I see him around now and then but its a hard subject to bring up! xx

I am 33 and was just diagnosed with BP2. In High School I was irratable, aggressive, and insecure despite being a good student and athlete. Drugs in college, struggling with classes, joining the army, getting married, going back to college, getting divorced, etc. played a role in masking my disorder. I became depressed several times a year, but was never very manic. Hypomania and disphoria are what I experienced more than anything else. Still, I have trouble characterizing my mood.
7 years ago, a family doc prescribed me anti-depressants. I tried several different kinds, none of which seemed to help. Now I hear from the doc that diagnosed me as BP2 that anti-depressants are the worst thing for a BP to take. The can make your already disordered moods spiral out of control.

I asked a very close friend at what age did she think my BP started, as we have been friends since we were 12, and she said that I had it when we first met. She reckons that I have probebly had it all my life. I too was dx with depression early and meds never worked only to make me suicidal and nearly take my life.

I dx myself off the internet funny enough, googled depression last year in june an BP came up read all the symtoms and thought geez that is so me. Went to my GP and showed him, he agreed and got me in to see a pdoc asap for a proper Dx.

Im just glad I have finally found out what the hell was wrong with me my whole life and can be treated and find some form of normality.

Praise the lord :))

It is odd though, the many achievements/failings in my life.I look back and think..was that cos I am BP ?
It's a black hole though for me and I try facing forwards.That's hard enough

I don't think detection is hard when a person is manic. When people are grandiose or talking very fast it sets off flags also, even when hypomanic.

Exuberance and risk-taking.Being hit harder by the lows in life like the death of loved ones or the separations that occur.Traumatic events too.Having extreme highs from artificial and natural sources.

If yr Genetically 'destined' then these things will make the onset hurtle towards you sooner.

I know for me it had been well over 20 years before being diagnosed. I always knew something was wrong and I was different. I just thought I was crazy. Now I know I was just bipolar, LOL!

Doc says looking at my history I had bp at least since I was 18 )with SAD. Never got dx until I was 38.

cetection for me was a long and hard battle. it took me 8years to get properly diagnosed. i had my first major suicide attempt by hanging at 20 years and it took me till i was 28 to get a proper diagnosis and thats going in and out of hospitals beklieve jesus was going to pick us all up in a space ship,, to hearing voices, having believe people were out to kill me ,to believeing i was a prophet of god, to believeing i was led around by the holy spirit and evryone i met along my way was supposed to be that way because god had arranged it, i have been previously diagnosed as haveing histrionic personality disorder, borderl;ine personality disorder schitzophrenic until now all to arrive finally with the proper diagnosis of bipolar. i have been good with my med but havent had a manic in a hile and wouldnt mind to feel alive for a change. so even tho i was trying to find out what was wrong with me because i knew it wasnt normnal even tho i tried it was still very hard and definately time consuming