I understand where you are coming from and think that *some* episodes can be a defense mechanism for me. I is a way (as ultramar put it) to dissociate which is one of my defense mechanisms at times. There certainly are times when I have no control and my emotional volatility is unpredictable. There are rare occasions where there is a small instant after receiving tough/triggering news that a barely conscious portion of my brain decides to either fold OR become giddy. Giddy can be inappropriate but the ability to "check out" and deny facing a problem for awhile occasionally makes sense. So I say, yes, elation can be a defense mechanism. I can FEEL those episodes versus a bipolar shift though...they feel different to me.