I know full blown manias and severe depressions well, but my flavor of bipolar 1 has included low grade extended hypomanias and depressions a lot in my life. The low grade hypomanias are usually pretty nice (save some occasional irritability and impulsive statement uttered). My low grade depressions are exactly what the OP describes. I'm in one now. It started about 2.5 weeks ago. My pdoc really hasn't done much about it. He's waiting to see if a circumstance this week may help.

I do have level stable periods, but my see saw isn't just programmed to three positions (full mania, stable, depressed). It's more like those old kinds of scales where one side has slightly more or less weight than the other. Only sometimes does one end quickly dominate.

Frankly, I don't think my "flavor" is that uncommon.

If I could be a lot more productive right now I could be. It's not laziness holding me back.