I have thought/behavioral points...

Like if I think of ___________ or act like __________ then I need to see my healthcare provider.

For instance if I start believing I need to travel and buy a plane ticket, I KNOW, just from that thought, I am hypomanic. If I feel happy but have no thought resembling this (There are others) then I know I am fine and it's just happy. It took me a few years of recognizing patterns before I got to this point. Because I have it identified I often see doctors and whatnot before the episode escalates. Then I have a small med adjustment and as the episode diminishes reduce medication again.