Hi, I am bipolar and i agree with most of what has been posted. I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that he is pulling a sympothy string tho. As you discovered....a large portion of bipolars are addicts. Him filling you in on what the doctor determined is just another peice of the puzzle he needs to find in order to overcome all these things.
It's a disease and yes, most often, a genetic one. If the doctor told him he had pnemonia or the flu or diabeties or cancer...he would have told you about those just the same. For some, the diagnosis can be a hard thing to accept at first.
Bare in mind also, that there are different types of bipolars out there and also different personalities and different ways people take care of themselves and take responsibility for themselves.
The GOOD news is that if he does decide to work on finding the right med combo for himself ...then it will make it much easier on his fight to stay sober. But yes....finding the right med combo often takes around 2 years and many times longer. It's a difficult one to treat and keep managed, which is why those of us with it have to stay on our toes and keep a constant vigil on ourselves and our coping skills.
Staying with him....that's your choice, but my personal opinion would be that if he's not willing to take meds then he's not that interested in working to get and stay healthy.
I will have to take meds for the rest of my life. End of story and no different than if i had a heart disease.
I commend you highly for researching bipolar disorder on the internet!