@Blueberrybook, I think you're referring to the term "kindling" where each episode is like adding a log to the fire. I'm literally only 27 and it's been 9 years since my first full-blown mania (probable hypomanias prior, which in that self says something), but seriously, they used to hit hard, fast, but it was more the "dance around, sprint the streets at night, randomly drive to the beach for sunrise, write and write and write and write, clean EVERYTHING," sorta deal and it'd last at most a couple weeks. That first real mania was an anomaly at that time, and even then it was only a week (before the police dragged me to the ER and I got a shot of zyprexa). From I want to say 23-26 my manias progressively accumulated more and more dangerous and regretful acts with health consequences that definitely have shaved some years off my life.

On meds they'd have a slower progression, but really that just gave me a reason to think "it's not going to be as bad as last time, I'm not sleeping THAT much less than I was a few days ago, and I 'normally' do these things (when 'normally' only accounts for the past week)." I think the first five years after being dx'd with bipolar I've only had first responders come out to me two or three times. Last five years it's been once or twice a year. Shyt. That doesn't feel good to realize. My concentration is always crap though. Too many drugs (and I think lithium was the worst of them all for me haha. Maybe it's because at one point I had a 4.2 level, but either way)