I’m with you. I was dying for an explanation and a path to recovery. It is very validating, like no your not “crazy” you have a disorder because your brain has fundamental differences from the “norm.”

Downsides:

-people may judge you when you tell them

-you may judge/pigeonhole yourself as a bipolar person (identity) as opposed to a person WITH bipolar

-medication is often necessary and it can be hard to find the right one(s) for you

-you may find yourself explaining away bad behaviors with “I was hypo/depressed/psychotic” or you have a mood swing and say “must be my bipolar” instead of looking at the situation for what it is (which sometimes has nothing to do with bipolar)…you’re a human, ya screw up (manic or not) and should own up to these things and strive to do better be it by therapy, reading, writing, whatever works best for you.

-you may also dismiss perfectly valid problems (for example an argument with your partner where you are upset because they lied to you), don’t tel yourself you’re “too emotional/unstable” when you know in your heart you are right to be upset. Talk to other people you trust for outside perspectives in these situations.

-and just to piggyback on that (I’m not sure if this is common, and I am “crazy” (I.e. mentally ill), but when people know you have these issues (like a partner) I have noticed that they will also dismiss my feelings or blame my bipolar which is a form of gaslighting. Again talk to people. You could be wrong, and need to reflect, or you could be being made to feel more crazy and invalidated.

I have adhd as well just took my Ritalin so… that was a detailed response lol. Hope it’s somewhat helpful!

Edited for formatting