How can i know if i'm dealing with bipolar disorder. i always feel down and get really sad at times. i have been cutting, also thought about suicide.

This is not...: ...Something you should have to go through by yourself; getting help from a mental health professional will do much more for you than put a label on your suffering. Tell your doctor about this.

Safety vs. diagnosis: Your safety seems to be more important at this point than the diagnosis. Cutting behavior and suicidal thoughts are a medical emergency. I suggest you go to the nearest emergency room and ask for help. Once you talk to a psychiatrist face to face, a diagnosis will be made and the appropriate treatment will be initiated. The treatment will ideally include psychotherapy and, likely, medication.

Get Psychiatric exam: From your description, it is quite possible that you have bipolar disorder. The best option in my opinion is to call and make an appointment with a psychiatrist promptly. Tell him or her that you are concerned that you might have bipolar disorder, and you want an evaluation. There are no current definitive diagnostic tests. The diagnosis is a clinical one. Please don't delay--get this done soon.

Get an evaluation: You need an evaluation by a knowledgeable mental health professional. Self-cutting is usually associated with borderline personality disorder (bpd), not bipolar disorder (although they are not mutually exclusive). Here is some basic info: www.Webmd.Com/mental-health/tc/borderline-personality-disorder-topic-overview. Bpd is treated with psychotherapy. It is often misdiagnosed as bipolar ii.