This has varied throughout my life, and certainly the last 16 years. However, I have been having longer and longer euthymic periods these past five years. This year? I'd say 95% of the time I've been more or less stable. The other 5% I've mostly been euphoric or irritable hypomanic...maybe once very very briefly I was heading to full blown manic. My current medication cocktail (with Seroquel XR dose manipulated), improved insight, mastery of coping skills, and lowish stress situation has made my stability possible.

My last severe full blown mania with psychosis was mid through late May 2018. That was a bad one! I have to be extremely careful next month during my trip, because my last bad mania (and many previous ones) developed during international travel. Big trigger for me! My last international trip was the May 2018 that I mentioned.

Between years 2004 and 2009, I could certainly say that mania (often mixed) or depression (to a lesser degree) dominated the years. They were hell years and I spent much of them in the psych hospitals or PHP/IOPs. However, I got through them and I am where I am now. Much, much, much, better! Imagine if "something really bad happened" to my existence during that bad period? If I gave in to the illness, completely? It would be extraordinarily sad.