YTA - As a social worker with 15 years experience, primarily working in severe mental health, also with mental health diagnoses myself…..YTA. She was there to meet you, not be diagnosed. You say you were just having a conversation, but you studied her closely enough you were comparing her behaviors with case study to the point you still remember it. Something that is taught the very beginning of becoming a social worker is to never diagnose yourself or anyone else you are close to. You say you weren’t, but your comments are showing you may not have said it out loud, but you were diagnosing her.

Second, you state you are familiar with bipolar disorder and mania due to personal and professional experience. Did you know that not all mania presents the way you are discussing it. You’ve never experienced anyone with a full emotional outburst during mania and then back to baseline? That’s primarily what I’ve experienced. Mania is not one size fits all. You talk about not having dilated pupils, individuals who are unmedicated, may attempt to self medicate, something like this would alter the mania that is presenting and also could constrict the pupils.

As an experienced social worker, this would’ve been my reaction: her - ……”mania is strictly a bipolar thing” “really? I have heard these diagnoses can also experience mania” If she is still escalated. “You know I may have read that wrong. So tell me more about yourself.” She was escalated, she felt someone was telling her she was wrong about her diagnosis, and she was anxious being in a setting with new people, it’s not important to me to be a right fighter, it’s important to me to ensure people feel heard, valued, and know they can build a rapport with me.