You make it sound a lot simpler than my experience of “bipolar” in a loved one.
Admittedly, I oversimplified it (as posts tend to be short).
However, I did glean that amidst all the complexities of it, it really did come down to straightforward diagnosis and treatment; it was the psycho/socialogical aftermath of the problem, cleaning up the mess, that made it all so difficult & painful.
IMO any mental illness cannot be put in a box.
There are degrees and other factors that make an illness be that person or the person who happens to be with that illness.
I have known folks who cant manage to function to the point of being a danger to themselves or others and I have known folks who because of a pronounced mental challenge are extremely productive in a good way like laying hard wood floors as an art and making a great living at it (just an example).
Point being is illnesses dont come with a one size fits all.
Reading the post I detect a wiff of manic phase....
“You make it sound a lot simpler than my experience of “bipolar” in a loved one.”
I second that.