I have to disagree on one point, this disease is genetic so we are born with this "mood disorder". There was a time (I believe in the late 1800's when we were described in a medical journal as "insane geniuses". This of course was many decades before the first effective mood stabilizer (lithium salts), thus the effected were pretty much prisoners to our moods which are often shaped by external stimuli. Yet the more bipolar people I meet and the many lengthy lists of famous successful people who have both lived and died with bipolar disorder, I really do understand that term "insane geniuses" as there seems to exist with our hypomania a source of inspiration that is much more rare in people without the hypomania experience. Unmedicated, untreated, isolated and uneducated; we are doomed to the same misery that those patients in the days of old experienced but now in this enlightened time when we have so many options and resources, we also have the opportunity to harness our moods and use them to our advantage. What form that takes is as dependent on the particular mood and our individual response to said mood. If you are having problems handling a mood state that is not life threatening, try to change your response, attitude and activate a pre-planned activity to utilize the mood so that it becomes a positive source of energy in your life.
I hate that I wrote all this out as a command or suggestion to YOU rather that personalizing it and writing in the first person and sharing with you how I am able to have days where I appreciate the genetic gift of the bipolar order. As long as I keep my recovery first and stick to my recovery plan, there is rarely disorder in my life. Why focus on the negative of this condition. I am bipolar and I grateful for each day, just as I am for this forum.
hugs to all,
ptk