[nandm]

Welcome to our mental health forum.

As someone who is bipolar I can truly understand your concerns and questions. For many years I was diagnosed with a depressive disorder. The bi polar I have is bi polar type II. With this type of bi polar the up swings are not as drastic as with the person with bi polar type I. The upswings are indicated by excessive, uncontrolled spending, insomnia, and several other things. I have never been committed but who am I to say that would never happen. Fortunately for me I was diagnosed and the medications do what they are supposed to for the most part. I make sure that I work closely with my doctor regarding my meds and don't make changes without first consulting her.

Not everyone who is bipolar has it to such a degree of needing to be committed. You will find a wide variety of people here in our forum; some who have been through institutions, hospitalizations, etc... and some who have been fortunate enough to not have had to go there. Some who are newly diagnosed, some who are just curious, and some who are extremely knowledgable about the disease. I hope you will stick around and you can find some support here. There is some good information in the stickies above.

Your doctor would be best at diagnosing if you are bipolar or not. There are some online tests you can take that might help indicate one way or the other but getting a professionals opinion would be best.