My rapid cycling has been more in terms of days and weeks rather than minutes and hours at a time. Technically, having four or more mood shifts in a year is considered rapid cycling. What you are describing would be considered ultraradian cycling, or ultra-ultra rapid cycling. The extreme mood lability is what makes it hard to sort out I think.

The diagnostic manuals tend to prefer nice, discrete episodes and sometimes that's just not our reality. So, they try to put a fluid, human experience into a very cut and dry box and it doesn't always work.

Hopefully now they'll be able to get you onto a good mood stabilizer and things will settle down for you soon.