K this might be long cuz I went through and tried to give you answers to all your questions. I hope this helps.

1. Rapid cycling is usually when you have multiple (I don’t know the exact number) manic/hypomanic episodes a year. For me it was usually once a month or every other, but now my meds pretty much control it. I know I’m hypomanic cuz I get about 3 hrs of sleep and am perfectly fine with lots of energy.

2. I don’t think most people remember when the bipolar first started. For me, I can look back and see symptoms of it, but I have no idea when it was “full blown”

3. Mania is just a enhanced version of hypomania. Usually when your manic things are really out of control. Hypomania is usually found in BP2 patients such as myself. Basically, I get really irritable, energized, don’t sleep, racing thoughts, and I feel really elated or happy.

4. I would not dwell on the thought of possibly having suicidal thoughts one day. I think everyone is different and I would just be happy you don’t have them

5. I think people with bipolar disorder tend to have more anxiety issues. That is my personal opinion, so don’t hold me to that. I know that I have bad anxiety at times, but when I’m stable I don’t really have any anxiety.

6. I can’t help you on this one cuz I have no idea

7. I think most people are either on Lamictal or Lithium. I am personally on Lamictal and that plus Abilify has gotten me to a stable point. I think that you need one or the other of Lamictal or Lithium, but once again that’s my personal opinion. I wouldn’t worry about not having side effects. The only ones I had were headaches and insomnia (which might not be the lamictal.) I also noticed I slipped into depression when I upped my doses of Lamictal, but that doesn’t seem to be very common

8/9. Once again I can’t really help you on this one. I know when I get depressed I usually sleep 10-12 hours and don’t want to get out of bed. I normally sleep about 7 hours, so 10-12 is a lot for me. I would highly suggest getting on a sleep schedule. Like going to bed at a certain time and forcing yourself to get up at a certain time

10. Vitamin D is very good for you no matter what. My pdoc suggested I take Vitamin D supplements because its good for your mood and brain.

11. My T and I have worked on this and I still slip up sometimes. I would suggest coming up with a list of things that help calm you down. For me my list includes: working out, walking away and taking a moment for myself, reading a book, watching tv,…. Now most of those things aren’t things you can do at a family gathering, so maybe try to come up with something that works on the go. Possibly walking away and taking a moment for yourself, counting to ten before you speak, or taking a deep breath and telling yourself its ok

12. I would keep a mood chart. I would rank your mood from 1-10 everyday and when you aren’t sure then rank your mood then and see where you fall. For me 10 is hypomania and 1 is severe depression. If I am depressed, my T has me tell myself that “This too shall pass,” just to remind myself that its not forever and I can handle stuff