Many are those who have found out they have PMDD after having been diagnosed with a mental illness. Bipolar appears to be a diagnose the symptoms of which are very much alike PMDD-symptoms. In my case having looked for help with my PMDD for more than five years I was diagnosed bipolar type 2. I always suspected that my depressions and hypomanic episodes followed my cycle. Only recently, for the past couple of years I've been trying to get psychiatrists to understand that what a person with bipolar experiences once a year happens to me on a monthly basis. Nowadays I don't get hypomanic but have mixed episodes. These are very draining both emotionally and physically, and destructive as well. Not only self destructive, I get into at least one major conflict with family members, friends or work colleagues. Bipolars might only have that once a year.