I have a very sudden mixed state that came on after weaning off Pristiq(so maybe that was the cause of it being so sudden). I went from hypomanic, happy and productive to dark, suicidal, crying uncontrollably but still with racing thought and energy and insomnia. This happened almost overnight. It was frightening.
My pure depressions tend to come on gradually, like the one I am in now. It is less traumatic. Before being depressed I was stable but had been only for a month as I had been mixed before that. I guess it is all part of the cycle.

Are you an ocean, mountain or plains type of person?