I would add that treatment for Bipolar Disorder of either variety is more than initially seeking help--it's a commitment to staying helped. I have BP-I, diagnosed many years ago and well-treated since then. I have a great psychiatrist, and was lucky enough to have hit upon a mix of drugs without too much trial and error that work for me and keep me pretty stable without too many side effects. Given the crapshoot that is psychiatric pharmacology, I've had a really good outcome.

But, having tasted the highs, it's hard to live knowing that the well is capped. Looking back to the time before I was treated, I can see where I was in manic episodes, and I know that there are things I was able to achieve that would not have been possible without the intense focus, energy, optimism, and creativity that come with that. Everything is shinier and better and wonderful. It's pretty fabulous. On the other hand, bad decisions become *good* decisions, and are magically totally justifiable. But it will be over at some point, and I want to have a marriage, a house, a job, and a credit rating to come back to. So I take my pills and see my shrink. Many people can't resist, or don't have the resources to get good care and management. It's a commitment, and does require some degree of discipline. Am I just happy? Or am I *too* happy? Am I sad? Tough shit, I have to get out of bed and at least go through the motions of being human, or I become my diagnosis.

TL;DR: Pills aren't a magic cure. Not for Bipolar Disorder, not for "regular" depression. Pills need to go hand-in-hand with good care and yes, self-discipline. Unfortunately, if you're stuck somewhere in the highs or in the lows, the last two can be hard to come by.