I have a theory about bipolar insanity - the labels of hypomania, mania, manic-psychosis, mixed, mild depression, medium depression, deep depression cannot be compartmentalized or categorized by lines or boxes. Instead, they are overlapping and obscure. Worse yet, these definitions are transient (defined by surrounding consensus).

Think of it like temperature: if someone says, "It's hot outside," then you might ask what temperature is their "hot." Someone else (another pdoc) may say "It's warm, but not hot." In other words, the definitions are not either-or with some definitive "line." They over-lap and vary based on the unique symptoms of each individual in the moment.

So, when another BP1 says to me, "I've never had a manic episode, but I've had 'manic-like symptoms,' " I say simply that "you don't really know that for sure, because you have no way of evaluating yourself." They can only suspect that they "have never had a manic episode."