How many episodes of bipolar can you experience during a year?

I keep reading that the average is four, but is it possible to experience manic and depressive episodes monthly? As in 12+ episodes a year with normal periods in between.

Sorry if this a silly question :/

I have rapid cycling bipolar. I have cycled more than twelve times a year. Some months more than twelve. It is more up in the summer and more down in the winter, but I never completely stop. It is kind of a roller coaster. Everyone has a different normal for their bipolar.

p.s. It's not a silly question.

Thanks

Do you ever have periods where you are completely symptom free? Even if it's for a few days.

Twigg, in an average year, 2 real bad depressive episodes and 1 or 2 mixed episodes a year. On the right drug combo, I went almost 8 years without any major mood shifts. It was the longest I can ever remember not have mood swings. However, I stopped taking my meds, and went right back to the mood swings.

I seem to get one mania and one depressed a year.

I've averaged 4 or 5 episodes a year until this past couple of years. Now I'm down to 2 or 3 a year which is SO much better. Took time to get meds right and LOTS of therapy to work on management skills. I am usually completely stable/symptom free between episodes now.

It's different with everybody. I tend to have a seasonal pattern---fall/winter brings depression, and spring/summer gets me ramped up. But then I have to throw the occasional "offseason" mania and the mixed episodes in there......right now is the first time in several years that I've been really stable, so it seems like the pattern is changing. I dunno.

So far, I've noticed mania in the Fall.

This a good question, on these forums it seems like everyone is always cycling. I feel like I remebe living in a mixed state for like 10 years. I finally got some help, was good 2 years. Now since summer I have gone from manic to mixed to depressed and now I am back to mixed. Oh how I hate mixed, I wish summe would come back....

I rarely have more than one or 2 a year on average. I cycled very fast on certain meds, but thats all sorted now and being med related I dont count that.

I'm not exactly sure. Was diagnosed a year and a half ago. Now that I know what they are I had been having them for quote some time prior. Just never true mania. I had my first full blown manic episode a year and a half ago, and my second one a year ago... Had never fully recovered and was prescribed stimulants again. That equals I go bat **** crazy for me. Haven't had a manic episode in a year. Definitely have visited hypo mania and depression countless times in this year though. Like in the same week. Sometimes in a day. I just hid the depression for a long time--- why do u ask-- just curious

I normally experience 2 episodes a year

I experience 3 episodes a year average excluding the winter depression.

About 2 a year.

If you're not having much 'baseline'/'normal' in between maybe you can talk to your pdoc about how often this is occurring and what can be done about it. I think the goal, anyway, is to go through this less often, so whatever has to be done to accomplish this is obviously beneficial. Whether it be a change in meds and/or therapy or different therapy.

If you're experiencing monthly or weekly or even daily or hourly mood swings, what does that mean? Bpd?

Possibly. I have both. But normally I have a kinda normal mood most of the time. Lately though it's one extreme or the other. It's weird

It could be bpd, what are your symptoms like?

Women probably go through it once a month if you know what i mean??!!!!I had an operation to stop my monthly cycles and it saved my life, now i just have to get through menopause, which isn't so bad now. I hope i don't embarrass anyone but i would advise ANY woman to stop their cycles if they are as bad as mine were, hemmoragging, cramps, mental capacity problems. I think it was called a thermal oblation operation. Goo Luck and have a nice night!!!

I have messaged you

Could the rapid mood swings I described be a 'mixed' episode?

Its hard to say without knowing more, we arent allowed to diagnose you and it is hard to advice without more info. In my experience my mixed epsiodes are nothing like rapid mood swings. Generally when there are swings that quickly BPD is usually the cause. Luckily BPD can be worked on with DBT and is able to be pretty much cured. While BP is a life long thing.

I think daily, weekly mood swings are, regardless, something to talk over with your pdoc. What has he/she said about this? Have they given any explanation, have they talked about goals for less frequent cycling? Has anyone broached the subject of BPD traits?

It seems that pdocs can be pretty cagey sometimes, and unfortunately it's the patient in many cases who has to bring up questions and concerns about their experiences/symptoms in order to have a discussion about it.

I've said this a lot, I know , but conceptually anyway, I see a difference between 'mood swings' (maybe not so much bipolar) and 'mood episodes' (maybe bipolar). Episodes are tenacious, they grab hold of you and won't let go until it's gone through its course. This, I think, is why it tends to take so long to pull out of them (i.e. a couple weeks, a few weeks, whatever it may be). Because if you're hypo/manic, something could happen or someone says or does something that might usually get you down/make you sad/upset but your hypo/mania continues on, like a freight train, nonetheless. You likely won't 'snap out of' a depression, because something nice happens, someone says something or does something that makes you feel good. Despite this, if anything, it will continue.

In other words, 'moods' can change at the drop of a hat (potentially), 'episodes' latch on and don't let go until they've run their course, and this can take time.

Mixed episodes are a tough one. I have yet to read a description of them that helps to differentiate them, for me, from so many other things; it's confusing. Most articles I read attribute them solely to Bipolar I, though I did read somewhere that it can appear in Bipolar II.

Perhaps the difference lies in 'triggers:' if your moods are all over the place (happy, sad, irritable, angry) because you're constantly being triggered by what's going on around you (and within you) then it's possible that these mood swings are being caused by these triggers, not a 'mood episode' (mixed or otherwise).

I really think the most important thing is to talk to your pdoc: share with him how often this is happening, what it feels like to you, what is triggering them (often we have to dig to figure that out, because it might not be immediately obvious, though I think therapy can be really helpful here).

Best of luck.