That's definitely the case with me. The huge shifts from one state to another happen as rarely as every six months but within each episode there can be swings of a less apparent magnitude (especially when I am mixed state).

I discussed it with one of my Ts and she did agree that slight shifts within an episode could be possible but it's important to remember that we are all different and our condition affects us all differently. Mental health can, at times, amount to educated guesswork rather than exact science.

Of course there are other factors to consider when looking at the replies to the thread. As it is most uncommon for Bipolar patients to cycle daily, those that fit the idea of the scarcely understood and rarely studied ultra rapid cycling may be more inclined to comment on their cycles than those in the realms of the "norm".

Ultra rapid cycling was a proposed descriptor for Bipolar disorder but it is now generally used just to describe an episode or indeed diagnoses further but it isn't mentioned in DSM, unlike Rapid Cycling.

Then you are to consider the chance of a misdiagnoses or even comorbid Bipolar Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder (perhaps undiagnosed) which could indeed explain some people experiencing usually frequent mood swings than you'd expect in someone with Bipolar.

I actually may have both Bipolar and BPD according to my psych but we are both pretty sure I only have Bipolar Disorder I, perhaps rapid cycling.