A Question about Bipolar Disorder

Hi, If someone is already diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder can certain life experiences instigate symptoms?
Now, I'm not even referring to traumatic events, which I know can set off mania or depression. I'm referring to everyday life occurrences, such as...hearing a song you absolutely love, turning it up, and suddenly feeling hypomanic or manic, which lasts for the day. Or for 2 days.


Or someone cuts you off while you're driving and you find yourself feeling enraged; the rage feeling remains with you for a day/days and you keep ruminating over it for a week.Then either mania or depression sets in, and you cannot shake it.

I hope this makes sense. What is your experience?

It does make sense and my answer is yes, many many times. Mood lability, minor to major, is very common in bipolar and sometimes triggers can be very small.

I will say that in my experience, my very worst and longest episodes were triggered by major things or prolonged stress. Later the "kindling effect" worked to prolong and exacerbate episodes.

Very often when I am otherwise relatively fine, small triggers like the right music or thing said at the right time (or the opposite) usually only result in temporary (or even fleeting) mood lability for me, often under the minimum requirement for a true official mood episode. In these cases, I will only be one mood type back to stable and not go from one end to the other rapidly. This isn't to say I don't have mood lability in the form of mixed features (formerly called "mixed episodes"), but with my bipolar my mixed features are truly mixed, and not of an ultra ultra rapid cycling type variety. I've only ever experienced ultra rapid cycling as a result of antidepressant use. I have had significant rapid cycling, but as maybe 5 separate long mood episodes in a year.

I am prone to mixed features, but have had plenty of euphoric and pure depressive episodes, too, some quite long. But much of my youth, I'd have just mood lability, but quite often. That can sometimes lead people to think it personality-related even though it isn't really, nor was it in my case BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder). I have never met the criteria for BPD, though bipolar mood lability can resemble some similar symptoms a bit at times.

My mood lability is far less frequent since I found a good medication mix, but it isn't non existent. I'm still sensitive/vulnerable to certain minor triggers, but oddly in slightly different ways in recent years than in my youth. In my youth, I was a seriously tough girl and woman. After the worst of my bipolar disorder finally passed, I became more sensitive in a different way. I do feel slightly weakened/less tough, but I have gained some positives in this new normal that I didn't have before.

I can definitely relate, little things can absolutely set me off and last for the rest of the day. The music thing in particular affects me, songs I used to listen to when I was manic cause flashback that cause me to feel humiliated, and energetic songs at high volume can really make me feel hypomanic.

I agree. A large scale event also need not trigger a larger emotional response than a relatively minor one. Without going into great detail it took only seeing a kayak on a car roof rack for me to breakdown into such a Depression I required 9 weeks hospitalization. On the contrary I have faced some big situations that I have taken in stride.

Yes yes and yes

I also have BPD so it's hard to tell sometimes. My general mood is stable but I'll have ups and downs due to situations. I try to figure it out by the triggers if any.

Something big can set off a hypomanic event in me, but it has to be big—like a new job. That was just too stressful and stimulating, plus I inherited a boatload of trouble they had not told me about.

Once hypomanic, while I’m not bad-tempered (I have the euphoric type), I will rip someone’s head off and hand it to them if they mess with me or my daughter. It can be pretty frightening for that person because I was raised by a raging maniac, and I can turn into her when someone sets me off and doesn’t know when to back down. Normally, I don’t do that. Only when I’m hypomanic or manic.

Full-on mania has only been set off by prescription drugs (diet pills phen fen for example, which has an anti-depressant in it).

I did have angrier responses to things before the lithium. I don’t know if that is because I’m calmer or if it’s just the med making me feel so flat. Maybe it’s the same thing.

This thread is fascinating and so educational for me. Thanks to each of you who have commented. A lot of stuff in my life now makes sense because of all of your input.

I’m in a low/depressive state right now caused by unrealistic expectations of others, I guess.

Sometimes I’m not able to separate mania from hypergraphia; both are ‘hyper,’ of course, but I think that I experience hypergraphia outside of full mania.

But ‘small things,’ yes, can trigger disorder symptoms that may last for days or weeks.

I’m in the midst of a crisis just now. I don’t know what the result may be.

I have a giant ‘best wishes’ for you. You’re one of my favorite people here. I hope this is published... I never know these days.

What a totally interesting thread. I totally agree. The sun being warm and bright can trigger a mild hypomania while a simple comment from someone can trigger a depressive mood.
And I certainly was more bossy, opinionated and less sensitive in my youth. Now I feel fragile and weak most of the time. I don’t really want to go back and be that same person but I too miss some of her strength.

This is actually something I've been dealing with a lot for awhile now. I did not use to have this problem much. I'm going to ask my pdoc about it, I think. It's not as big an issue for me in regards to hypomania, but huge for me as far as depression. Certain songs or certain things people may say to me. Triggers emotions from past episodes and can be just as bad. It can last anywhere from a day to several days.

My friend! THERE you are!! I have been seriously concerned about you. I PM'ed you last night, in fact. I am so, so sorry to hear that things are not okay right now...I was afraid that was the case. You don't sound like yourself, you sound depleted. Please, if you feel like it or need to, PM me

Again, thank you, each of you, for replying to this thread and sharing your experiences.

With increasing intensity I am realizing how pervasive Bipolar Disorder is.

I think so, yes.

Interesting. For my to be diagnosed with bipolar type two, I had an hour (45 minutes to be exact) of a series of tests, mostly questions followed by a face to face "conversation" with a psychiatrist and psychologist for one hour. But not all done in the same day (one sitting).

Most recently my additional diagnosis of having Avoidant Personality Disorder has not only been reviewed because the psychologist that held the test was under the "impression" (in other words) misinformed that I was originally diagnosed as bipolar one. However, my generalised anxiety disorder remains sound. I was asked if I would be willing to participate in another session, which in no doubt will deepen my sudden shift in what I'm now calling it a doctors malfunction induced personality crisis.

To top it off, NO doctor is willing to help me with the state of my liver.

Staying positive is the ONLY thing that's stopping me and sharing my experience is the reason I keep posting here, even though I know it's not helping me, especially when you know that most people aren't willing to change..

However, I don't believe bipolar to be exclusive to upbringing from what I've learned from the same doctors that saved my life.

After all, who's advice should we trust?!

Good Day

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On the one hand, this sounds perfectly normal for some people without BP. Music can send someone soaring, someone cutting them off can send someone into road rage. You don't have to have BP to experience this.

On the other hand, I can see such things resulting in BP episodes if you have BP. I guess you have to find a way to stop it in its tracks before it gets to that point. In fact, someone without BP would have to do the same thing -especially in the case of road rage- for it not to get out of control, or to not ruminate on it because you're still angry or feel guilty for however you reacted.

I don't think getting extremely happy, even euphoric, due to beautiful music would constitute hypomania if it only lasts a day or two. It's too short, and I really do believe that others can experience the same thing.

I guess what I'm saying is that intense emotions (euphoria or anger) do not necessarily a BP episode make. However, if they turn into emotions that last a week or more then that could, potentially, be an episode that has been caused by the initial euphoria or anger. I think it's also common in BPD to be reactive to emotional events and for those reactions to be short-lived.

You've made good points, Gabyunbound. I think there's a "range" within the reactions...by that I mean even though neuro-normals can become euphoric from listening to certain music, they don't tend to remain euphoric for hours or days after the song has ended. They don't suddenly spend the money they have in hand to pay a utility bill and race to a store to buy new clothes, instead, because the song was so astounding. And they don't go from feeling euphoric about the music to feeling irritable, then angry, then enraged because the world around them is moving too slowly...people in the grocery store ALWAYS in the middle of the aisle, totally unaware of ME trying to pass by...drivers in the parking lot not TURNING fast enough, but just sitting there so I can't go forward or backward.

That kind of thing.

Actually, there are many symptoms of BD that are very similar to BPD. I have asked my pdoc and my therapist about this. They've told me that some people have both disorders, but that I am only BP. I think I agree with that, as I don't have the core symptoms of BPD.

Thank for your reply.