I hesitate to post this because I recognize that I am lucky and many of you would kill to not have to deal with depressive symptoms. However, does anyone else not have them? I had several months of hypomania and then a full manic episode 2 years ago when I was 19.

Got stabilized on a mood stabilizer and have not any episodes since. I had some slightly hypomanic symptoms this fall around daylight savings time and my doctor upped my dose slightly and I've been fine since.

I've never had  depressive symptoms, even before I was medicated, apart from a short period following an upsetting life event. I know if you've experienced mania/hypomania you're considered bipolar, period, but I'm curious how common it is not to have the depressive side of things?

I also went through puberty very late, got my first period at 17 and my manic episode  2 years later. My doctor knows this, but I can't help but wonder if I would have been treated differently if I had a manic episode at 14 (2 years after most girls go through puberty). I have no plans to stop taking my meds, they're working and I can't complain. I just often feel like my (lack of) symptoms and having a manic episode at such a physiologically young age is unusual.