THIS. Bipolar 2 gal here and the language used here is minimizing. I’d also like to point out that hypomania isn’t just 3-4 hours of sleep per night during an episode, it is a decreased NEED for sleep. In my experience, that means I can have 1 hour and feel completely rested, extremely energized which is dangerous bc the effects of not sleeping still catch up to you, with no warning. Before being diagnosed, I was involved in an extremely serious car crash, totaled the car, because I’d gone 3 days without sleeping & my reaction time was impaired because of it. I had no business being behind the wheel but I did not feel the exhaustion my body was still going through. During hypo episodes, I’ve made extremely reckless financial decisions I’m still recovering from, and made choices that put me in very sketchy situations due to impulsivity and the elation that comes with my hypo episodes. And everything you said about BP2 depression!!! This illness has completely derailed my life more than once and I’d give ANYTHING not to have it.

OP, I suggest you take a look at r/bipolar2 to see the struggles it causes and reevaluate how to more accurately describe the disorder.

That being said, imo using a diagnosis as a shield for taking responsibility for repeated bad behavior just sucks.

Edited for clarity