What I learned in class today

Was sitting through some presentations for my technical writing class (hm yeah, technical. Moi? *lol*) Some dude talked about his bio paper on anticonvulsants for treating epilepsy and / or bipolar disorder. Half listening and half picking my nails, I stopped in my track when he listed the clinical symptoms of bipolar disorder:

Mania: often begins with an intense burst of energy, creativity, and social ease. People with mania typically deny that anything is wrong, and angrily blame anyone who points out a problem.

In a manic episode, the following symptoms are present for at least one week:

- Feeling unusually "high," euphoric, or irritable [check, even though I have gotten no work done for eons]

- Plus at least 4 of the following symptoms:

> needing little sleep yet having great amounts of energy [ok that never happens]
> talking so fast that others cannot keep up with the thought pattern [only when I've had too much caffeine]
> having racing thoughts
> being so easily distracted that their attention shifts between many topics in just a few minutes
> having an inflated feeling of power, greatness, or importance [a la Tony Blair...]
> doing reckless things without concern about possible bad consequences (eg, spending too much money, engaging in inappropriate sexual activity, or making foolish business investments)

In severe cases, the person may also experience hallucinations or delusions.

Depression:
In a major depressive episode, the following symptoms are present for at least two weeks:

- Feeling sad, blue, or down in the dumps or losing interest in the things one normally enjoys

- Plus at least 4 of the following symptoms:

> changes in appetite or weight
> changes in sleep
> difficulty thinking, concentrating, or making decisions
> feeling slowed down
> feeling worthless or guilty
> thoughts of death or suicide [check all of the above]

Holy cow. That all sounds rather familiar, apart from not sleeping and the sex bit. (Well, looking at the selection of men here it's not surprising)
So now at least I have some sort of medical excuse for being the way I am :P Then what?