phoenix47baby: I have never heard of anyone with bi-polar acting like this. And I have been educating myself for twenty-five years. Could your mother possibly have some sort of psychosis besides just being bi-polar.

I'm still trying to figure out exactly where psychosis fits into my own child's pattern. What seems to be happening is a hypomanic state which moves into mania. In the course of that movement we often see some degree of grandiosity but it's ego-centered grandiosity as related to their own unique skills or talents. We'll also see what I call "reality slippage" wherein they'll be talking away and everything they say is quite rational and then, a statement comes in that doesn't belong. It can be so subtle and innocuous that most people couldn't catch it, but those who know the history or situation, know the statement doesn't belong. This indicates to me that they are wafting into at least occasional periods of a delusional state.

During this stage they'll also feel so up and positive, they reject the suggestion that anything is wrong even as the people around them point out exactly where and how they are crashing. This too relates to a lack of groundedness in reality but it's not yet what I would call full-blown psychosis -- perhaps this is because I'm looking for evidence of ego-collapse as the determining symptom. When that does come, depression seems to come with it but also more intense and florid imagery, including the presence of religious symbols, i.e. -- talking to Jesus.

If anyone else has experienced psychosis as part of their pattern of bipolar disorder, I'd be interested to know if their experience matches that same pattern to any degree.