This last horrible mania episode I had felt like it just happened out of no where. One minute happy, next no sleep with racing thoughts that felt like they were screaming in my head, then almost no sleep (like it all went downhill...four hours became three hours became two hours, until at the end I was down to one hour of sleep at night because of the stupid racing thoughts! I'd get stuck on trying to figure out what certain phrases meant. I'd literally stay up all night trying to figure it out!). Just bad bad bad. And then it turned even worse.

But, in hindsight, I realize there were warning signs in advance, and there was a lead up to it. Like I was waking up in the middle of the night (always at the same time), and usually unable to fall back asleep, etc. Some feelings of euphoria. Having urges to do things that I never would have even thought of doing in the past, like shoplifting, etc.