[giddykitty]

In your experience, of course, can one's moods move through a sequence like this for instance...

Depression-stable-manic/hypo-stable (AGAIN)-depressed-stable-depressed (AGAIN)

or does it have to strictly follow this sequence...

D-S-M/H-D-(S-M/H-D...)

??

Thanks!

[HALLIEBETH87]

Mine has no order lol

Order doesn't really matter, bipolar episodes can do whatever they feel like doing whenever, although it's somewhat common to have a manic-depressed-stable-repeat pattern.

Like spikes and HALLIEBETH, my bipolar disorder has no set way of presenting itself. In fact, more often than not, I go from stable to hypomania/mania (or mixed) and back to stable then back to hypomania/mania (or mixed) to stable to hypomania/mania (or mixed) and only occasionally really become bona fide purely depressed. I've spent much more of my life in elevated mood states than in purely depressed ones. However, I have experienced a couple doozy purely depressed ones in my past. Sometimes I only become mildly to moderately depressed and don't reach severe. Even with my bipolar type type 1 (history of full blown manias), I sometimes only reach hypomania before becoming stable again. My illness course has varied a bit throughout my life, including before being medicated, and after starting medications.

I'm in my late 40s now, but from my early 30s to about 37 years old, I was mostly experiencing severe manic episodes that sometimes became severe manias w/mixed features. I had also been psychotic during many of those episodes. At the end of that period, I had a major league crash into pure depression that required ECT. Then some mixed stuff happened again. Then a bit more depression. Then I was struggling with hypomania and full blown manias again for a while. Only in recent years have I been mostly stable for very long periods.

[Nammu]

Sounds as if you are trying to gather info on BP to pull one over on a pdoc and get the diganois you want. I knew someone who did that. She passed out from taking BP meds she didn't need.

[giddykitty]

Originally Posted by Nammu

Sounds as if you are trying to gather info on BP to pull one over on a pdoc and get the diganois you want. I knew someone who did that. She passed out from taking BP meds she didn't need.

nope, @Nammu. ive been diagnosed with unspecified bipolar and just trying to see if folks experience things like me. The OP included my experience with mood shifts. Ive also been on mood stabilizers and while they didnt really seem to do much, the only downside i had was the weight gain. grrr weight gain!

[bpcyclist]

Mine has had no real definitive pattern, It has changed overall and generally over the years. Early on, I was mostly in a depressed state a lot of the time with some intermittnet hypo. Then, I went through a manic phase, with terrible mania that was very hard to treat. Now, more recently, I am in a more psychotic phase. I am pyschotic all the darn time now.

Other than that, there has been no real pattern whatsoever. I am all over the place.

[Pookyl]

I predominantly experience hypomanic and manic moods and rarely depression. There’s no rhyme or reason to my episodes and definitely no order.

[Wild Coyote]

Giddy, Do yourself a huge favor! You may have been diagnosed with BP unspecified, but don't let it become your identity. The number of threads, the vast amount of time and energy put into the threads/posts, some basically nonsensical, while trying to collect info on others when, in fact, the factors you are "investigating" are highly individualized.?

Believe me when I tell you I am concerned about your welfare when I highly suggest you work on gaining some balance by investing some time and energy in other pursuits. You are not your illness. Do something simple and logical, like maybe a mood chart, have a life, and come and tell us all about the fun you are having in a life outside of PC.

You have many good qualities!

You can have a much better life than allowing this to consume you.

With Love and Concern

[scatterbrained04]

Nope. My bipolar does whatever it wants lol.

[Gabyunbound]

Ohhhh if it were only so simple and black and white. No illness works in a straight line, even physical ones. Everyone is different.

No 'order' of symptoms are right or wrong or more or less indicative of Bipolar Disorder.

I know you have a diagnosis of BP-unspecified, but you also have relied on on-line tests which are notoriously ineffective. As I've said before, I think your best bet is to get a pdoc for diagnosis (again, not in one visit), and a therapist who might help to direct you away from your identity becoming so subsumed under the diagnosis of this or that MI.

I wish you the best of luck in your journey.

[giddykitty]

Thank you all for your replies. I feel better now knowing that it's normal to have no normal. This has been very reassuring. I think I've gotten my answer now. Again, thank you folks!

[FooZe]

This thread has been closed at the OP's request.