getting help from a psychiatrist?

I decided to do so. I wasn't diagnosed with bipolar, but I suspect I have it. It's so evident now! It's extremely evident and it's distressing, it interferes with my daily life...the mood swings, depression, and then those moments of euphoria, and then boom back to depression again, and it's confusing not only me, but also people around me.
I decided to get an appointment with a psychiatrist, she prescribed me antidepressants last year due to depression caused by losing a friendship, but now it's something entirely different, there's no reason for depression now. Mood swings are getting more intense everyday. Maybe I've always been like this but never noticed it before. Well, now I know, because mood swings are intense, they are easy to spot, they are frequent and most important thing, they are now interfering with my daily activities. Maybe I was bipolar before, but never noticed it, or it wasn't so intense, or maybe just wasn't fully blown. Well, now it's here and it's confusing my existence. I feel cut in two pieces. There are moments when I'm just neutral, but extremes are destructive, and neutral moments last for a short period of time compared to depression. I don't have full blown mania, but hypomania I guess. This week...one day, in the morning I felt sick, depressed and like my life was about to end, but then during the night, I started laughing hard for no reason, I couldn't stop and I danced around my friend's room and she asked me: "excuse me, but...have you just smoked weed?".
I'm writing every detail in some kind of journal I will give to my psychogist and my psychiatrist. I guess it will help both me and them.
I really hope I will get a diagnosis and proper treatment for this. I feel like I'm unique, special, I know there might be positive things about bipolar disorder, but as you all know, negative things are devastating, depression is devastating, so I better seek help.

What are your opinions on this? Is it a good idea to give my psychiatrist a journal describing my feelings, my mood swings, what happens during depression and what happens during euphoria?
I do not mention bipolar disorder in the journal though. It's not me the one who should come up with a diagnosis, it's their job to do so and I expect them to diagnose me. Will they realize I am bipolar and help me with this?? Or will my psychiatrist just prescribe meds without saying what's wrong? (as she did last year?)

I always think it is a good idea to speak to a professional if you have worries or questions about you mental health so yes I think you are doing the right thing. Depending on how much time they have with you they may not have time to read through extensive journal entries so it might be worth having a think about how you can summarise things with them a bit. they may well ask some direct questions as well as more open ones in order to narrow down what is going on for you. The best thing to do is to go with an open mind and be honest with them about what is going on for you. If you want clarification of what they are saying or what diagnosis they are leaning towards then ask them for it- they should be explaining this to you. Dont be surprised if it takes more than one visit for them to give you a diagnosis too - I was diagnosed in my first visit but I know that a lot of ppl are not and they may want to monitor you for a while to decide for sure what is going on. Good luck - I hope you get some answers

Cracked

A psychiatrist may be able to help if the time allows but it may take several visits. You could also consider a psychologist who has more time and I know mine does take time to read my journal which allows him to follow my moods. We use the journal because I rapid cycle and because I have issue with social interactions.

Thanks for the tips Cracked. I thought about making things shorter, but maybe a journal of 2 pages isn't too much for now and she can read it whenever she has the time and then talk about it with me in the next visit. Or I could first introduce my situation by speaking and then give her the journal later. I remember she had asked me to write things to her though, last year.
Yes, I will be completely honest with her about this.

ANewBeginning, I already see a psychologist but it's once a month (if I want to see her often I need to pay and I don't have money for this). I have serious issues with social interations too so this is why a journal is better because I might get confused if I talk to the psychiatrist, like not being able to express myself properly.
Could you tell me more about your rapid cycling? Is it possible to change moods and go from depressed to hypomanic (or vice versa) during one day? Or being depressed one day and hypomanic the next one?
I read about it being called something like ultra rapid cycling....

There is rapid cycling and ultra rapid cycling. Im not clear which my psychologist believes I experience but I would guess rapid cycling with mixed moods. My understanding is people with Bipolar Disorder cycle no more than 4 times a year but someone who rapid cycles can cycle several times within a year. I lean more on the depressive side with mixed episodes.
My social issues consist of isolating myself while surrounded by people. Inappropriately responding to situations. Fear of Abandonment. Pushing boundaries (which my psychologist will say I do with him). Attaching/Clinging to motherly figures. And on and on and on....

Rapid Cycling is defined as four or more episodes (Depression or mania) a year, ultra rapid I would assume would be more than that, probably 4 or more in a month but that's off the very top of my head, and then there's ultradian, but I don't know if that's an official Dx, That's the one that would be multipole(pole was an accident lol) episodes in a day though, so that's what you would be technically. Ultradian BP is commonly mistaken for Borderline Personality Disorder or vice versa, but PD's are something a psych would have to diagnose, not you at home. Just remember that for Borderline, you only need some symptoms, so just because you are fine with relationships doesn't mean you don't have it.

Ultradian/ultra-ultra-rapid is when you have multiple mood swings in the course of a day. Which is hard to differentiate from mixed episode really. Borderline, as far as I understand, is different in the way that it's easier to identify triggers that cause an abrupt mood swing in borderline, while in bipolar you get mood swings that are often independent from what is actually going on in your life. (Not sure this is 100% correct, since I'm not a doctor -- this is how I understand it.)

I got diagnosed after one visit but you could say it took 8 years as well since 8 years earlier I was diagnosed with depression and received treatment for over a year.

See my social issues are PTSD and social anxiety related if I had to take a guess.

I agree that ultradian and mixed episodes are hard to differentiate. I think certain things are extremely hard to figure out even for professionals. Maybe some things can only be understood by ourselves only, really.
In February I did not experience ups, it was mostly depression. So, mood swings in me seem extremely random, unpredictable and not triggered by specific daily episodes. I experienced hypomania just like three times in February I guess, or maybe more than that but it was mostly depression.
My swings come out of nowhere and are totally random. Also, depression days last longer, and then there are days when I feel creative and active but depressed at the same time. And then there are days when I just forget about the meaning of the word "depression".
It's only my emotions changing, not my perspective on other people or my life goals or relationships. Only emotions and energy are affected.
Also, summer is just more positive than winter.