For me, it's like I can't really remember the extremes of my episodes once they're over. I could be severely depressed for a long time, and then at some point it lifts, and within a few days I start to think "there's no way I really felt like that" and I start to doubt that I really need meds and treatment. Same with mania. Then when another episode hits it's suddenly real again. It's weird. That's one of the reasons why I go back and forth with acceptance, because it's just so unreal in a way.