Hi! Unlike most people here, I can actually relate quite well to you. I have a strange form of bp, lol. I have been dx'd with bipolar I disorder (but sometimes I feel that I fit better w/ bipolar II because I've never been fully manic. Pdocs are weird; I'd know as I want to be one ).

Anyway, I can relate to the fast cycling. This was what I was going through when I was first diagnosed; here is a post that I made that is very similar to what you are doing now; I think that you may find it informative. http://forums.psychcentral.com/showthread.php?t=174517

I personally believe that ultradian cycling (cycling within a 24 hr period) is a lot more common than most people, including MH professionals, believe.

As for whether or not reading about hypomania can induce hypomania in you...that's an interesting question that I've been asking myself lately. I found that some symptoms of mine intensified once I had read about others' experiences. For example, I had had suicidal thoughts before, but once I found out how common they were among bp sufferers, the sui thoughts got a lot more intense and frightening. It's almost as if I had discovered that it was "ok" to feel that way, and finally allowed myself to experience my emotions at their full intensity.

Your hypomania may have been genuine, but I think that it is more likely that it was induced. The interesting question is this: could a normal, non-bp person induce hypomania in themselves, or do you have to have a bipolar diathesis to "run" such a "program"? It could be argued that you have to be bipolar in the first place if you can make yourself hypomanic. I'm not diagnosing you (not a pdoc yet! ) but these are my thoughts.

You might also want to check out Jim Phelps's stuff; he is a pdoc who specializes in mood d/o's, and he does a good job of describing "lighter" forms of bipolar. Here is a link to his site: http://www.psycheducation.org/

Also, it is possible to be a functional depressive. That, again, is something that I can relate to. I never get so low that I can't leave my bed. I think that this may be age related for us. We're college students; the high school days with mother bashing us over the head with a figurative broomstick if we didn't get up and go to school are still rather fresh in our minds. We feel a stronger obligation to function than those who are older. Also, this disorder tends to worsen with age.

I don't know if you have bp or not; let us know what your pdoc says after you are evaluated! I've seen 4 pdocs, and three of them have dx'd me with bp of some form. (The fourth thought that I had "mood disorder not otherwise specified". Whatever that is...)