question

Okay so I was wondering a few things:
1) Is it possible to be in one mood for a few hours then all of the sudden switch to the other extreme? Like, within minutes?
2) Is it rapid cycling if that occurs often? Or is even rapid cycling slower? Sometimes I will feel one way for days, in varying degrees- like if I'm depressed I always get much worse at night or if I'm alone, or if I'm (hypo?)manic I'll calm down a little when I need to be still be super fidgity but I think that's just me learning to mask it when I need to. If that's possible, I've heard it is.
3) Are there considered to be triggers that could send you into one extreme for another? I was really depressed in varying degrees for a couple of months straight, and then this past Sunday something happened that made me happy, and I've been hypomanic since then. Is that bipolar or are the mood changes more random.. or maybe a combination?
4) If you're hypomanic but really exausted... would you just become fidgity or does it not go away? I'm not sure if it still counts, but I was definitely still distracted and jittery, but too exausted to actually be fully hyper.

I'm 17 and utterly confused... I don't know if I have bipolar but I'm questioning the possibility. I know whatever I'm going through is not normal... not just a part of teenage life, I promise I can differenciate, unless hormones are extreme enough to make you suicidal without knowing why but... I think there's something up. And I thought it might be depression, but I randomly jumped out of it and now I'm just crazy and pretty much fit the hypomanic criteria. And this has happened before... so maybe?

Alright, enough rambling. I'd apprieciate any insight you guys could offer.

yea, rapid cycling can vary rarely occur within minutes! makes your case hard to treat.. dotn diagnose yourself. however u might watch your sleep patterns too... when ur hypomanic you prolly sleep less and dont feel tired, depressed u can still sleep less but feel really tired (i think..).. if you dont want to go to a doctor but are still worried, consider just scheduling a regular pattern of sleeping, eating, and exercise (really! works better than medication sometimes to slow down rapid-cyclers especially)

-matt

yes, ultra-rapid cyclers can change moods in minutes. it also sounds like you might be experiencing mixed moods, where you have symptoms that sound like depression and other symptoms that sound like mania, such as "hypomanic but really exausted". the way that manifests itself depends on who you are and what's going on in your life; for me it's being really angry with everyone (including myself) and wanting to do everything fun and being unable to do anything, fun or not. that's also when the suicidal thoughts start popping up.

i don't know how common it is to be rapid (4 or more cycles per year) or ultra-rapid, but i'm certainly one of the ultra-rapids. i'm cycling every four days right now.

yes, i think almost all of us are susceptible to triggering. i think that's gotta be the main reason people pooh-pooh bipolar illness: they think we're just hyper sensitive, drama queens/kings, thin-skinned, immature... and we just need to get our act together. and i suppose we do, but when you're clinically ill is when you can't do it all by yourself.

i HIGHLY recommend you see a doctor about this, especially if you're having suicidal thoughts. does your family know about all this? if not, i'd tell them, and if they're not as supportive as you'd like i'd make a bee-line for the school nurse or a teen clinic or anyone else you can think of. if you're ever getting serious about suicide and think you might be about to hurt yourself, don't be afraid to call 911. they're nice folks.