Funny Clinic Story. As many know, clinics in large urban teaching hospitals are filled with interesting stories. My weekly surgery clinic is on Tuesday. Here is a story from yesterday. One of my assigned medical students went in to do a work up on a new patient with a complaint of a hernia. I reviewed the history and physical with the medical student and she reported that as part of the past history the patient reported being "bipolar". I reviewed the outpatient chart and then checked the EMR. There was no previous documentation of this disorder. So I went in to see the patient with the student. I said to the patient, your student doctor has reported that you have given a history of being bipolar. Could you tell us where the diagnosis was made? The patient very matter of factly replied. "Oh, my mother is bipolar and I took her medicine and felt a lot better. So. I am bipolar just like my mother!" As Dan rather says - "we don't make this stuff up folks!" JTE.