Bipolar disorder...?

...hey...I'm curious about what you all think...do you believe I might be dealing with manic depression or perhaps something else entirely?
My moods fluctuate...quite frequently...one moment I'm feeling down, and the next I'm happy...at the start of the school year, I felt like I really fit in with my social circle, but now, it feels like almost everyone avoids me...sometimes my thoughts turn incredibly dark...

I went through some significant struggles in a previous relationship...I started pulling at my hair...throwing things around...I even attempted to self-harm, though I lacked the nerve to go deep, so the marks remained superficial...eventually, I turned to pills and began "misusing" them...on top of all that, my parents are constantly fighting...

And the most recent development is that I've started drinking, which is something I've never done before, and I've taken up smoking...

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME????

Puberty? Look, everyone goes through it—it’s practically a rite of passage. Some people act like total idiots, others are just a little messy, but we all deal with the chaos.

I really don't think you're dealing with manic depression.

I’d honestly suggest you go see a psychiatrist. I ended up seeing one myself because of my health anxiety—that constant, gnawing fear that something is physically wrong. After spending years in medical school, studying every possible ailment and its gruesome complications, I was stuck in this loop of dread, convinced I was either dying or about to face some catastrophic illness. I couldn't just let those thoughts rot in my head; they were too intrusive, so I sought professional help. For a little while, I was on medication designed to boost serotonin levels, and once that fog finally lifted, I tapered off and I've been fine ever since. It felt like a necessary phase of my life. So, please, go see a mental health professional. Let’s be clear: there is absolutely nothing shameful about it. In the US, seeking therapy is practically a lifestyle trend, whereas elsewhere it might still be treated as a taboo, but if you seek help privately, nobody else even needs to know. You’ll simply feel better. To me, the fact that you’re even acknowledging this struggle suggests it’s something worth taking seriously.