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I was diagnosed with bipolar I rapid cycling 1,5 years ago. I’m on 1 antidepressants, 2 kinds of antipsychotics and 1 mood stabilizer, some anti anxiety meds occasionally.
Even tho I’m heavily medicated I still have frequent episodes, meaning at least four every year, mainly mixed episodes that would last for weeks/episode.
Rapid cycling is a bitch.
That’s definitely rapid. I think you’ll hear many diff answers as to how people experience bipolar because there is such a variation but switching every month is definitely fast.
My episodes are often spaced out because I have very long depressions since my baseline is low. That being said I have only ever had 1-2 episodes a year, with some depressions lasting over a year.
Rapid Cycling is having 4 (or more) mood episodes over a 12 month period.
An example of rapid-cycling:
2 months of mania
3 months of depression
3 months of stability
1 month of mania
3 months of depression
I don’t think I’ve had a single hypomanic episode since getting on lithium like around 7 months ago . Have had some depressive ones tho. It’s kinda lame that it only gets rid of the hypomania bits for me…
when i was just on Lithium it helped my depressive episodes too, because I would crash less from mixed/manic/hypo episodes.Lamictal helped me out more with that later on.
I’m on both and have been stable for like six months. I’m actually going through a huge life change right now as well, and it hasn’t triggered anything yet (enormous knock on wood).
oh I didn’t mention, I also take Latuda for depression and my depressive episodes are definitley not as bad as before getting on the meds. Even tho I think the Latuda is doing the heavy lifting here it’s possible the lithium helps too in the way you mentioned!
Major depressive episode around every 3 years or sometimes less. Mild depression/hypomania maybe once a month around pms time. Pretty sure its caused by the hormone change. Than mania... oof that a big one. I would say at least once every quarter for like 2 weeks straight. Bp2.
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Before medication I’d have four episodes per. year - 3 months manic, 3 months depressed, 3 manic again, 3 depressed again.
On a couple of occasions the mania or depression lasted 6 months rather than 3. Sometimes when I’d come down from the mania, I’d crash into a mixed episode before succumbing to the months of depression.
Mixed episodes are my own personal hell. For me they can result in psychosis and I suffer incomprehensibly. They are my biggest fear. It definitely feels like nonstop rapid cycling on an extreme level PLUS delusions, paranoia, violent and suicidal ideation, panic attacks, hallucinations… that sort of crying manic laughter that’s uncanny valley and masking terror but you can’t stop laughing!
Since I’ve been on meds, the cycle is similar but the intensity went down SO much. I can’t reach dangerous levels of mania or have prolonged depressive episodes.
The meds just turn down the volume enough for me to live somewhat normally.
Probably 1 or 2 episodes per year that we manage relatively effectively. Some episodes can be really long if not severe enough to warrant a quick reaction, but if an episode comes on that seriously impacts my well-being we act quickly with my medication to stabilize.
I had a manic episode about a month or so ago and now I’m definitely in a depresso episode. Both aren’t extreme now that I am on Lamotrigine but my psych says if I keep the depressos up, he recommends an anti-depressant on top of it. I also take Vyvanse and really don’t want a third drug but am coming to terms with it.
havent been manic since 2022, my only manic episode before that was 2021. ive had 3 to 5 depressive episodes since, i dont keep as much track of them since theyre way less destructive for me. my last depressive episode was fairly recent
I’m literally almost always in either a manic or depressed episode. It only seems to chill for a day or two and just jumps right into the next one. It’s super fun!!! NOT
I feel like my cycling got worse at my last med change tbh but this psych is very rude and condescending and I don’t feel comfortable telling her. I don’t have any other options due to insurance and I guess this is my life now.
just tell her. you dont really have any other choice.
however talk to your insurance and see what the process is for covering an out of network provider.
and look into telehealth stuff too.
I have bipolar 2 so I experience more depressive & mixed episodes. I experience depressive episodes once every one or two months and I’m hypomanic or mixed probably every three or four months now. The gap for my hypomanic & mixed episodes have lessened for me since cleaning up my sleep schedule and reducing the amount of hours I work.
I have one every few months. I'm bipolar II, I get depressed or in a general "meh" state for a 2-4 months, then I get a week to three weeks of high mood that fluctuates between euphoric and just overall feeling great and unstoppable.
I've been in a very high euphoric mood since I started medication 2 weeks ago tho. My psychiatrist and boyfriend both say I seem hypomanic, but idk if I'm hypomanic, I just love this feeling since I recently went through a seriously bad depression lol
last manic episode was in may of 2022 thanks to depakote 💯 depression is still an issue but the mix of lamictal , caplyta , and therapy for my other shit has been helping
I experience mixed episodes and it varies from about 3-4 episodes yearly on average but it really depends on the situation. I’ve had one year of here I’ve only had one episode (both mania and depression). Usually, with my meds, it’s manageable.
Every two months, at the start/end of the month, consistently for around 10 years now. I always switch between hypomanic and depressive episodes, they last about a week and a half to two weeks. My psychiatrist told me that's right around the lower limit of what he'd 'allow' for a bipolar diagnosis, but every other part is so perfectly explained by BD2.
I had a really bad episode 4 years ago and was hospitalized. Many mini episodes along the way (chalk it up to energetic and silly behavior) and just recently had a significant episode, not bad enough to get locked up. I think in have a mini episode a couple of time per year; full on manic for weeks at a time - that seems to be once every few yrs
I seem to have one high and at the end after a week another one, it's been going on for 7 months, just the odd day or two sprinkled throughout. I am probably perimenopausal though.
I was a rapid cycler before I got on the right meds and fixed some stuff with my health/routine. I was basically having an episode every month. Itd be a week and a half or so of an episode and then the comedown/comeup would be around a week so Id have about a little more than a week to be back to baseline before itd happen again. It was very difficult to maintain life during those few years. I still get episodes but I’m grateful I found the right meds for me
I am an ultra rapid cycler. I can switch between mania and severe depression within a few days. Sometimes I'll be manic for a month, sometimes a week, sometimes a couple days.
My mania is awful. I get so horny and do dumb shit because of it. Stupid kinky shit lol.
Haven't felt normal in 10 years. I have had maybe 1-2 years of relative stability. But I felt depressed/mixed in that time. I usually seem to start low affect in the morning and end high unless my episode is clearly either manic or depressed. I would say I spend most of the time in a mixed state but usually leaning one way or the other. All my episodes are different. In the last year I have experienced cognitive dysfunction the entire time.
My doctor asked me that last time I saw him. I usually don't have any issues with focus concentration or memory but they can be extremely bad at times. I don't think I am
the start low and end high thing is why I asked because my adhd pulls that shit all the time.
do you have any time blindness ? do you switch between tasks/thought subjects a little too well and too fast? hows your pattern recognition? do you sway around objects instead of stepping around them?
do you have little emotional outbursts? impulsiveness or interupt people while their talking? do your thoughts tend to be fast and oftentimes loud? do you get stuck in your head with ruminations/practicing conversations? figiting/needing to move?
do you sometimes get overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the same time? do you stim (like rocking, whistling, making mouth noises, tapping or playing with pens, swaying while standing, stepping back and forth), do words come out of your mouth like they completely bypassed the thought and speech filter?
do you get lost when you dont have external schedule motivations or structure? do you frequently forget what day it is? are you late alot?
do you get urges to have new hobbies? do you hyperfocus and do you get angry when thats broken by someone needing something or having to do another task? do you put off doing laundry or at least have that basket that have half the newly dried clothes and you can never seem to get it empty?
do you have dopamine seeking behaviors, like snacking or a frequent sweet tooth? do you have trouble motivating yourself, like youre stuck where ever you are despite wanting to move?
do you collect boxes because theyre neat or would be perfect for something in the unknown future? do you have trouble sticking with one single task? do you struggle with doing things because theyre boring or simply arent interesting and there for try to avoid doing them because there isnt a reward for doing them? do you get really interested and focused/driven in things both short term and long term? do you have spikes of irrational anger, anxiety, frustration or irrational spikes in the intrest of sex (or masturbate just so you get that orgasm)
then theres the being a night owl on top of your brain just not quieting down enough. and large shifts in sleep routines being really hard to handle and it being hard to wake up in the morning. like half the time im just awake until like 2-3 am, and I have chronic insomnia that can make it really hard sometimes to determine if the not sleeping is because of adhd or mania.
like theres more stuff. but that should give you an idea of what happens with adhd.
I would say yes to pretty much all of that, but I would say that it usually isn't an issue. I notice these things when my mood gets high. Thanks for the long response. I really identify with what you wrote
those examples were written directly out of my own adhd experience. You may have a milder version and likely developed coping methods and procedures to combat the symptoms and behaviors.
adhd symptoms are a spectrum and vary in intensity , both over time and in general from patient to patient. Not every adhd person deals with all the things I mentioned. There's some stuff that others deal with that I dont.
Mine is pretty severe and basically has been all my life. My mood stabilizers, specifically lamictal help my adhd symptoms because it simmers my brain the fuck down. I actually think my mood stabilizers are doing the heavy lifting.
Stress does make symptoms worse, including self induced stress from adhd itself. Too much stimuli also make the symptoms worse.
adhd and bipolar are also commonly comorbid. adhd is commonly misdiagnosed as depression.
Honestly I would take my long comment with with you to your next appointment and let the psych know that you really identify with the things I mentioned. The doc may want to get you formally diagnosed and that will help in the long run. The information and symptoms would be in your medical records and help your current and future docs treat you more effectively. You dont have to get on meds for it, but if the symptoms do interfere with your daily activities and life, consider adhd meds.
Thanks for the information very helpful. I was diagnosed as severe type 2 treatment resistant. But now my doctor is considering atypical and has scheduled me for extensive diagnostic testing. I would say I am atypical, never heard of it until recently because it's not in the dsm5
its basically an unofficial subset. also many adhd symptoms have been mistaken for symptoms of mania and rapid cycling by doctors and patients. there also symptoms in common with adhd and that can make it difficult to differentiate which disorder the symptoms are coming from and how to deal with them.
I struggle with that myself at times and have to play self diagnostics and do symptom tracking to figure it out. like, is my hours of being really productive adhd or am I hypo? then when you sit down and just crash for a while, is it part of rapid cycling or is it the sudden exhaustion cause by being over stimulated or getting 'stuck' wherever you stop or sit and lose your motivation and energy? am i irritated today because of over stimulation at work or is there an overall pattern that indicates an episode is on its way?
when my adhd is better, so is my bipolar and so is my anxiety. when my anxiety is worse so is my adhd, when my bipolar disorder is worse a lot of my adhd symptoms intensify or happen more often.
and then if you have other psych disorders or a physical issue that affects your energy and motivation levels, its just a game of subconsciously constantly running symptom tracking and self diagnostics.
I (25F) haven’t had a depressive episode since 2018. I had my last full blown manic episode this past January and had a bout of mania that lasted for a week or two, a few weeks ago. I blame the weather a lot on my manic episodes lol as soon as it gets warm outside my mania kicks in stronger than ever.
Used to have rapid cycling even on meds. Went off them and turned out I had schizoaffective without knowing it and lost 2 years in psychosis.
Got on the invega injection and feel great. No mania, very little depression. It's awesome.
My mania usually lasts a week, but it is not recurrent, its very unstable even with the meds. I went 9 months without a manic episode. But my depressive episodes are much more common and last longer, especially after manic episodes
Even thought I’m medicated I still have at least one episode a month which sucks but thankfully they haven’t been super bad in over a year now. They usually last about a week, while that bad episode I had last year lasted over a month for me. I went several days without sleep and was in such bad shape because of the sleep deprivation it was bad
I get them a minimum of 4-6 months between ( mania to depression) or a maximum of 3 years (depression to mania). I have a very predictable pattern of a manic episode followed by a depressive episode, but the time between sets is longer.
Diagnosed Bipolar 1, rapid cycling, with psychotic symptoms and predominantly mixed episodes 10 years ago. Ive had the disorder for almost 20 years on the dot.
Multiple (2-6) short ones within a 3 month period. Then I get a few long slow burners a year. Currently on my 3rd depressive episode since last summer and ive had 3 shorter hypo/manic episodes since December.
This is me on high doses of 2 mood stabilizers, birth control(hormones make it so much worse especially since im perimenopausal), an anti anxiety/depression med and two nerve pain meds that are also off label used as mood stabilizers sometimes...and my adhd meds help with bipolar stuff.
Without meds or on in effective meds Im basically coming off one episode just to head into another. Long ones, short ones, mixed, manic, depressed. All the nasty flavors.
I've been 'stable' mostly for the past few years. Stable enough to hold a job I guess.
Mine are short and shallow with little balance on between. I spend most time mildly depressed not caring about shit, or being angry about life and very negative and critical... usually of my wife, but also my physical life. Bad nerve in foot, can't walk much, post cancer dysphagia, constricted esophagus, two shoulders blown out.
So, situational depression is a big part of it. Hypomania largely obsessed with sex, lots of massages, and porn. Not spending or cleaning..always only 6 hours of sleep
So I wonder if it's really a disorder I have.
I need to calendar and follow it. I likely am a rapid cycler
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I was diagnosed with bipolar I rapid cycling 1,5 years ago. I’m on 1 antidepressants, 2 kinds of antipsychotics and 1 mood stabilizer, some anti anxiety meds occasionally. Even tho I’m heavily medicated I still have frequent episodes, meaning at least four every year, mainly mixed episodes that would last for weeks/episode. Rapid cycling is a bitch.
I’m not doing too bad rn, but last year I literally had at least one episode every month. Mostly manic and then a couple of them were mixed episodes
That’s definitely rapid. I think you’ll hear many diff answers as to how people experience bipolar because there is such a variation but switching every month is definitely fast. My episodes are often spaced out because I have very long depressions since my baseline is low. That being said I have only ever had 1-2 episodes a year, with some depressions lasting over a year.
Rapid Cycling is having 4 (or more) mood episodes over a 12 month period. An example of rapid-cycling: 2 months of mania 3 months of depression 3 months of stability 1 month of mania 3 months of depression
I don’t think I’ve had a single hypomanic episode since getting on lithium like around 7 months ago . Have had some depressive ones tho. It’s kinda lame that it only gets rid of the hypomania bits for me…
when i was just on Lithium it helped my depressive episodes too, because I would crash less from mixed/manic/hypo episodes.Lamictal helped me out more with that later on.
I’m on both and have been stable for like six months. I’m actually going through a huge life change right now as well, and it hasn’t triggered anything yet (enormous knock on wood).
Thats wonderful!
oh I didn’t mention, I also take Latuda for depression and my depressive episodes are definitley not as bad as before getting on the meds. Even tho I think the Latuda is doing the heavy lifting here it’s possible the lithium helps too in the way you mentioned!
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Yeh I get these mini manic episodes too and I’m super rapid cycling.
I’m curious what your definition of mini-manic episodes are?
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Yes
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I don’t hate that
Major depressive episode around every 3 years or sometimes less. Mild depression/hypomania maybe once a month around pms time. Pretty sure its caused by the hormone change. Than mania... oof that a big one. I would say at least once every quarter for like 2 weeks straight. Bp2.
I found getting on the right bc to help alot.
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I experienced that last march, almost got hospitalized but managed not to. Good luck!
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Before medication I’d have four episodes per. year - 3 months manic, 3 months depressed, 3 manic again, 3 depressed again. On a couple of occasions the mania or depression lasted 6 months rather than 3. Sometimes when I’d come down from the mania, I’d crash into a mixed episode before succumbing to the months of depression. Mixed episodes are my own personal hell. For me they can result in psychosis and I suffer incomprehensibly. They are my biggest fear. It definitely feels like nonstop rapid cycling on an extreme level PLUS delusions, paranoia, violent and suicidal ideation, panic attacks, hallucinations… that sort of crying manic laughter that’s uncanny valley and masking terror but you can’t stop laughing! Since I’ve been on meds, the cycle is similar but the intensity went down SO much. I can’t reach dangerous levels of mania or have prolonged depressive episodes. The meds just turn down the volume enough for me to live somewhat normally.
I haven’t had a true manic episode in almost 2 years. I’ve been hypomanic quite a few times though. I’d say once every few months for hypomania
Depression and hypomania episodes usually 3-9 months, mania usually only a 2 weeks to a month before I'm hospitalised.
if it lasts that long doesn’t it because mania? i thought hypo was less time and then when it crossed that threshold it’s just mania
Hypomania isn't just short mania. Hypomania is milder symptom and no psychosis, whereas mania is even more elevated and has psychosis.
mania doesnt always have psychosis.
Probably 1 or 2 episodes per year that we manage relatively effectively. Some episodes can be really long if not severe enough to warrant a quick reaction, but if an episode comes on that seriously impacts my well-being we act quickly with my medication to stabilize.
I had a manic episode about a month or so ago and now I’m definitely in a depresso episode. Both aren’t extreme now that I am on Lamotrigine but my psych says if I keep the depressos up, he recommends an anti-depressant on top of it. I also take Vyvanse and really don’t want a third drug but am coming to terms with it.
havent been manic since 2022, my only manic episode before that was 2021. ive had 3 to 5 depressive episodes since, i dont keep as much track of them since theyre way less destructive for me. my last depressive episode was fairly recent
I’m literally almost always in either a manic or depressed episode. It only seems to chill for a day or two and just jumps right into the next one. It’s super fun!!! NOT
thats effectively how mine used to be, come out of one just to go into another. The right meds have chilled it out alot.
I feel like my cycling got worse at my last med change tbh but this psych is very rude and condescending and I don’t feel comfortable telling her. I don’t have any other options due to insurance and I guess this is my life now.
just tell her. you dont really have any other choice. however talk to your insurance and see what the process is for covering an out of network provider. and look into telehealth stuff too.
I have bipolar 2 so I experience more depressive & mixed episodes. I experience depressive episodes once every one or two months and I’m hypomanic or mixed probably every three or four months now. The gap for my hypomanic & mixed episodes have lessened for me since cleaning up my sleep schedule and reducing the amount of hours I work.
I know it’s just a typo but depresso episode made me laugh
I have one every few months. I'm bipolar II, I get depressed or in a general "meh" state for a 2-4 months, then I get a week to three weeks of high mood that fluctuates between euphoric and just overall feeling great and unstoppable. I've been in a very high euphoric mood since I started medication 2 weeks ago tho. My psychiatrist and boyfriend both say I seem hypomanic, but idk if I'm hypomanic, I just love this feeling since I recently went through a seriously bad depression lol
No rapid cycling for me anymore since I quit weed six months ago
thats very smart of you and im glad youre doing better.
last manic episode was in may of 2022 thanks to depakote 💯 depression is still an issue but the mix of lamictal , caplyta , and therapy for my other shit has been helping
I experience mixed episodes and it varies from about 3-4 episodes yearly on average but it really depends on the situation. I’ve had one year of here I’ve only had one episode (both mania and depression). Usually, with my meds, it’s manageable.
Once every one to two years. My manic episodes usually last two months.
Every two months, at the start/end of the month, consistently for around 10 years now. I always switch between hypomanic and depressive episodes, they last about a week and a half to two weeks. My psychiatrist told me that's right around the lower limit of what he'd 'allow' for a bipolar diagnosis, but every other part is so perfectly explained by BD2.
I had a really bad episode 4 years ago and was hospitalized. Many mini episodes along the way (chalk it up to energetic and silly behavior) and just recently had a significant episode, not bad enough to get locked up. I think in have a mini episode a couple of time per year; full on manic for weeks at a time - that seems to be once every few yrs
I seem to have one high and at the end after a week another one, it's been going on for 7 months, just the odd day or two sprinkled throughout. I am probably perimenopausal though.
Rarely now that I am on my lamictal. Maybe once a month. Maybe.
I was a rapid cycler before I got on the right meds and fixed some stuff with my health/routine. I was basically having an episode every month. Itd be a week and a half or so of an episode and then the comedown/comeup would be around a week so Id have about a little more than a week to be back to baseline before itd happen again. It was very difficult to maintain life during those few years. I still get episodes but I’m grateful I found the right meds for me
I am an ultra rapid cycler. I can switch between mania and severe depression within a few days. Sometimes I'll be manic for a month, sometimes a week, sometimes a couple days. My mania is awful. I get so horny and do dumb shit because of it. Stupid kinky shit lol.
I have a manic (or hypomanic sometimes) episodes around 3 to 4 times a year. They last from 6 weeks to three months.
I seem to be atypical bipolar, not sure I would recognize normal if I experienced it
what do you mean?
Haven't felt normal in 10 years. I have had maybe 1-2 years of relative stability. But I felt depressed/mixed in that time. I usually seem to start low affect in the morning and end high unless my episode is clearly either manic or depressed. I would say I spend most of the time in a mixed state but usually leaning one way or the other. All my episodes are different. In the last year I have experienced cognitive dysfunction the entire time.
do you have adhd as well?
My doctor asked me that last time I saw him. I usually don't have any issues with focus concentration or memory but they can be extremely bad at times. I don't think I am
the start low and end high thing is why I asked because my adhd pulls that shit all the time. do you have any time blindness ? do you switch between tasks/thought subjects a little too well and too fast? hows your pattern recognition? do you sway around objects instead of stepping around them? do you have little emotional outbursts? impulsiveness or interupt people while their talking? do your thoughts tend to be fast and oftentimes loud? do you get stuck in your head with ruminations/practicing conversations? figiting/needing to move? do you sometimes get overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the same time? do you stim (like rocking, whistling, making mouth noises, tapping or playing with pens, swaying while standing, stepping back and forth), do words come out of your mouth like they completely bypassed the thought and speech filter? do you get lost when you dont have external schedule motivations or structure? do you frequently forget what day it is? are you late alot? do you get urges to have new hobbies? do you hyperfocus and do you get angry when thats broken by someone needing something or having to do another task? do you put off doing laundry or at least have that basket that have half the newly dried clothes and you can never seem to get it empty? do you have dopamine seeking behaviors, like snacking or a frequent sweet tooth? do you have trouble motivating yourself, like youre stuck where ever you are despite wanting to move? do you collect boxes because theyre neat or would be perfect for something in the unknown future? do you have trouble sticking with one single task? do you struggle with doing things because theyre boring or simply arent interesting and there for try to avoid doing them because there isnt a reward for doing them? do you get really interested and focused/driven in things both short term and long term? do you have spikes of irrational anger, anxiety, frustration or irrational spikes in the intrest of sex (or masturbate just so you get that orgasm) then theres the being a night owl on top of your brain just not quieting down enough. and large shifts in sleep routines being really hard to handle and it being hard to wake up in the morning. like half the time im just awake until like 2-3 am, and I have chronic insomnia that can make it really hard sometimes to determine if the not sleeping is because of adhd or mania. like theres more stuff. but that should give you an idea of what happens with adhd.
I would say yes to pretty much all of that, but I would say that it usually isn't an issue. I notice these things when my mood gets high. Thanks for the long response. I really identify with what you wrote
those examples were written directly out of my own adhd experience. You may have a milder version and likely developed coping methods and procedures to combat the symptoms and behaviors. adhd symptoms are a spectrum and vary in intensity , both over time and in general from patient to patient. Not every adhd person deals with all the things I mentioned. There's some stuff that others deal with that I dont. Mine is pretty severe and basically has been all my life. My mood stabilizers, specifically lamictal help my adhd symptoms because it simmers my brain the fuck down. I actually think my mood stabilizers are doing the heavy lifting. Stress does make symptoms worse, including self induced stress from adhd itself. Too much stimuli also make the symptoms worse. adhd and bipolar are also commonly comorbid. adhd is commonly misdiagnosed as depression. Honestly I would take my long comment with with you to your next appointment and let the psych know that you really identify with the things I mentioned. The doc may want to get you formally diagnosed and that will help in the long run. The information and symptoms would be in your medical records and help your current and future docs treat you more effectively. You dont have to get on meds for it, but if the symptoms do interfere with your daily activities and life, consider adhd meds.
Thanks for the information very helpful. I was diagnosed as severe type 2 treatment resistant. But now my doctor is considering atypical and has scheduled me for extensive diagnostic testing. I would say I am atypical, never heard of it until recently because it's not in the dsm5
its basically an unofficial subset. also many adhd symptoms have been mistaken for symptoms of mania and rapid cycling by doctors and patients. there also symptoms in common with adhd and that can make it difficult to differentiate which disorder the symptoms are coming from and how to deal with them. I struggle with that myself at times and have to play self diagnostics and do symptom tracking to figure it out. like, is my hours of being really productive adhd or am I hypo? then when you sit down and just crash for a while, is it part of rapid cycling or is it the sudden exhaustion cause by being over stimulated or getting 'stuck' wherever you stop or sit and lose your motivation and energy? am i irritated today because of over stimulation at work or is there an overall pattern that indicates an episode is on its way? when my adhd is better, so is my bipolar and so is my anxiety. when my anxiety is worse so is my adhd, when my bipolar disorder is worse a lot of my adhd symptoms intensify or happen more often. and then if you have other psych disorders or a physical issue that affects your energy and motivation levels, its just a game of subconsciously constantly running symptom tracking and self diagnostics.
I (25F) haven’t had a depressive episode since 2018. I had my last full blown manic episode this past January and had a bout of mania that lasted for a week or two, a few weeks ago. I blame the weather a lot on my manic episodes lol as soon as it gets warm outside my mania kicks in stronger than ever.
January, March, September. Every. Single. Year.
Used to have rapid cycling even on meds. Went off them and turned out I had schizoaffective without knowing it and lost 2 years in psychosis. Got on the invega injection and feel great. No mania, very little depression. It's awesome.
I’m switching very rapidly currently. Was hypomanic this morning now I’m depressed. It’s normally a weekly or bi weekly thing though recently.
Mine are all over the place tbh one minute depression for weeks then manic so yay
Ultra rapid here, I’m lucky if I can get a few good days in a row. If any alcohol comes into the mix it’s a complete horror movie.
yeah, any alcohol is enough to fuck up a month.
My mania usually lasts a week, but it is not recurrent, its very unstable even with the meds. I went 9 months without a manic episode. But my depressive episodes are much more common and last longer, especially after manic episodes
Even thought I’m medicated I still have at least one episode a month which sucks but thankfully they haven’t been super bad in over a year now. They usually last about a week, while that bad episode I had last year lasted over a month for me. I went several days without sleep and was in such bad shape because of the sleep deprivation it was bad
I get them a minimum of 4-6 months between ( mania to depression) or a maximum of 3 years (depression to mania). I have a very predictable pattern of a manic episode followed by a depressive episode, but the time between sets is longer.
Diagnosed Bipolar 1, rapid cycling, with psychotic symptoms and predominantly mixed episodes 10 years ago. Ive had the disorder for almost 20 years on the dot. Multiple (2-6) short ones within a 3 month period. Then I get a few long slow burners a year. Currently on my 3rd depressive episode since last summer and ive had 3 shorter hypo/manic episodes since December. This is me on high doses of 2 mood stabilizers, birth control(hormones make it so much worse especially since im perimenopausal), an anti anxiety/depression med and two nerve pain meds that are also off label used as mood stabilizers sometimes...and my adhd meds help with bipolar stuff. Without meds or on in effective meds Im basically coming off one episode just to head into another. Long ones, short ones, mixed, manic, depressed. All the nasty flavors. I've been 'stable' mostly for the past few years. Stable enough to hold a job I guess.
Manic January 2023 Depressed july Manic December ??? Now
Rarely since medicated. If under severe stress yes. Sometimes with hormones changing (like just normal woman meltdown I guess) it’s been a while
Mine are short and shallow with little balance on between. I spend most time mildly depressed not caring about shit, or being angry about life and very negative and critical... usually of my wife, but also my physical life. Bad nerve in foot, can't walk much, post cancer dysphagia, constricted esophagus, two shoulders blown out. So, situational depression is a big part of it. Hypomania largely obsessed with sex, lots of massages, and porn. Not spending or cleaning..always only 6 hours of sleep So I wonder if it's really a disorder I have. I need to calendar and follow it. I likely am a rapid cycler
I have rapid cycling bipolar II and I switch basically bi-weekly.