Sounds like you have a good handle on your situation.

I have a side question. I know how mixed episodes can be fiercely emotionally painful. I have experienced this before. After several days I was almost ready to have myself admitted to a hospital. I have run into one person who said that they had mixed episode(s) that lasted one and a half years. Considering there are meds for this, given how long this lasted, wouldn't a person have been driven to do something about it? Who could last that long without intervention? I personally would of had a nervous breakdown and have been hospitalized.

I am trying to understand what is meant by having a true mixed episode. I think different people use this term differently, perhaps even a little loosely. I am not detracting away from their suffering. I am just trying to understand how a person can cope that length of time with mixed episodes.

PS: I have thought I was an ultra-rapid cycler. My mood "cycled" several times a day. But I discovered that frequent shifts in mood may not be actual bipolar cycles. Since then I have discovered the cause to be my response to stress. Stress and bipolar IMO do not mix well!