hypomania and duration

[princesswhore]

Do you count what might be manic/hypomanic episodes when they only last a couple of days, or do you tend to go by the textbook definition/duration? I feel like I am cycling in and out of potential (mild?) hypomania lately, but it's not lasting 4 days. I think my pdoc considers me rapid cycling but I'm not sure. Sometimes I write off "episodes" by

Comments

[mplsindygirl]

I don't worry about what the text book says. If I feel off-kilter, then I'm off. Many of my hypo-manic episodes are less than 24 hours. I do rapid cycle. If I don't realize at the time that I'm too far up, I can certainly tell when the inevitable crash comes. It sounds like you've set up the perfect conditions for triggering an episode, with the missed meds and missed sleep. I hope you have a plan in place to get the help you need to level out a bit soon. Talk to your doc and the people closest to you to see what they suggest.

[slinkslowdown]

I'm one of the "lucky" folks who ultradian cycle, so my episodes can be even shorter than a few days at times. I count all of it, whether it's a few hours or a few days.