I was diagnosed with bipolar syndrome in 1999. I experienced periods of depression (that I remember) as early as age five, and had my first severe manic episode in 1997 when I was doing my degree in London. It lasted for over three years, and progressively got worse. I was given several different medications, among them Lithium, but Lamictal changed my life and I slowly got better. In 2004 I moved back to the USA and continued on drug therapy for three years, after which I slowly stopped taking medication. I was very balanced, rational, and I felt normal. I have not had a manic episode since roughly 2001-2002, but I have had depressive periods and major postpartum depression (starting in 2008). I am now five months pregnant with baby number two, and I am suffering from depression still, but don't know how to deal with it as a pregnant woman. The risk of medicating is great- I could hurt my baby, and I am not convinced that I have bipolar disorder anyway. I had severe lyme disease for many years that went to my brain, and I have heard that lyme can change a person's brain chemistry. I suppose I am just not convinced that I have bipolar syndrome. Can mania go away? Am I not taking this seriously?