Welcome to the forum!

I will try to answer from my perspective:

1. Episodes may occur in response to triggering events and/or just out of the blue.

2. Initially, I had learned about my own symptoms of an impending episode by using mood charts and seeing trends in symptoms. I feel it's very helpful to know when an episode is brewing. I have been able to lessen the impact and the duration via early recognition. I'll do things like immediately target sleep (combat insomnia), will rearrange commitments (less stress), will stop texting or be very mindful if/when texting, will not shop or make any major purchases, etc.

Oh, almost forgot, my husband sees sign/symptoms early and lets me know as well. I trust his feedback. Someone you trust can be very helpful in recognizing subtle changes.

3. I have gone without meds and have lived with largely ineffective meds because that's all that was available until new drugs were released.
I won't be going without meds. It's critical I have effective meds. The most recent success with treatment (Latuda, for me) has made a major difference and confirms my need for meds. I was desperate for help when we'd finally decided to try Latuda and BP-2 was becoming increasingly apparent in my life.

I hope my responses help in some small way.

I also hope to see you around this wonderfully supportive forum.


WC