[tiger8]

My question is, how long is the shortest possible manic/hypomanic phase for bipolar people?

Can it be as short as one single day?

Originally Posted by tiger8

My question is, how long is the shortest possible manic/hypomanic phase for bipolar people?

Can it be as short as one single day?

Ultradian cycling can happen from hours to days.

Ultra-rapid cycling can happen from days to weeks.

Rapid cycling can happen from weeks to months.

Bipolar cycling can happen from months to years.

As described in this paper:

Rapid Cycling And Mixed States As ?Waves? | PsychEducation

[tiger8]

Originally Posted by AlwaysChanging2

As described in this paper:

Rapid Cycling And Mixed States As ?Waves? | PsychEducation

Thanks... this says "If such rapid emotional shifts are extreme, most psychiatrists start to think of a different diagnosis: borderline personality disorder"

Why?

Is it like, bipolar is about a mood state that's simply just there, and borderline is about not regulating emotions well due to whatever reasons?

Originally Posted by tiger8

Thanks... this says "If such rapid emotional shifts are extreme, most psychiatrists start to think of a different diagnosis: borderline personality disorder"

Why?

Is it like, bipolar is about a mood state that's simply just there, and borderline is about not regulating emotions well due to whatever reasons?

Borderline mood swings are more a less a triggered response to situations whereas bipolar mood swings automatically happens. There are others that will argue though that there are no other mood swings other than rapid cycling when it comes to bipolar cycling.

But along with borderline switchy mood swings is the borderline thinking: all or nothing thinking, fear of abandonment....

I live with ultra-rapid cycles that are automatic in nature that you can set a clock with...every 10 days a complete set of cycles full circle.

But I also deal with BPD and DID mood swings depending on the Other that's present.

They use the same meds to treat both conditions, BPD and BD. So hey...it works!

[tiger8]

Originally Posted by AlwaysChanging2

Borderline mood swings are more a less a triggered response to situations whereas bipolar mood swings automatically happens. There are others that will argue though that there are no other mood swings other than rapid cycling when it comes to bipolar cycling.

But along with borderline switchy mood swings is the borderline thinking: all or nothing thinking, fear of abandonment....

I live with ultra-rapid cycles that are automatic in nature that you can set a clock with...every 10 days a complete set of cycles full circle.

So I guessed right about the difference.

OK, my stuff doesn't fit either very well - I have short episodes (less than a day) usually in every 1-2 weeks that are triggered by not sleeping enough + by emotional triggers so it's reactive in this way. It's usually not about abandonment issues, I just cycle between unregulated intense emotionality in these episodes and between unemotional baseline

I did find I was able to fully disable-avoid the episodes by purposefully staying detached and ensuring I slept enough. But that default detachment is not exactly my goal either. I've had too much of that since the end of my teenage years.

So it's kinda very black and white. Zero refined regulation - I either do the too much detachment or I let myself have the emotionality but then it gets too intense.

Thoughts?

[tiger8]

*bump*

Does it sound bipolar or it's too different from that?

Thanks!