I don't include those times because I basically triggered myself... chemically. In other words, I would have never had as many episodes as I have, had I stayed consistent on my meds. I mean, I would literally rapidly cycle with manic or depressive episodes every month or two because I would take my meds for like 1 week and then skip the next week, etc.. It would have been better if I either stayed on my meds or stopped them altogether, rather than constantly switching back and forth between taking meds and not taking them.