Hi everyone,

Just wondering what your experience is: do your depressive and manic episodes come out of the blue, or are they caused by an external event?

My personal experience has been that my depressive and manic episodes aren't caused by any particular event or thing, except for certain anti-depressants, and seasonal changes. External events do not affect me in such a big way that it would lead to a full-blown episode. A day or two of feeling depressed, perhaps, but nothing more.

I've always assumed that Bipolar is more of a chemical imbalance, so external events shouldn't have much of an influence. But I'm wondering if your experience has been different?

Any input is greatly appreciated.