Hormone changes tend to affect my moods. Pregnancies and postpartum send me depressed. My miscarriage should have sent me severely depressed but I think the Lithium really has provided a bottom for me even if I am still depressed.

My manias are fairly wimpy as far as mania goes, but always follow a depressive episode. I only remember two episodes of hypomania that would meet the diagnostic requirements. SSRI drugs switch me to hypomanic quickly, and would probably go fully manic if I hadn't advocated for myself and complained about my "bad Zoloft trip".

Sometimes I get depressed with no obvious trigger but those don't get as bad as the triggered episodes. I think I have had 8 depressive episodes.

Therapy is what helps you figure out the puzzle of what triggers your episodes and what could help you stop an episode before it really gets started.