Posted by Andre Allard on June 11, 2000, at 19:41:45
In reply to To all bipolar sufferers, posted by tina on June 11, 2000, at 7:53:43
I am not bipolar but I have studied the disorder extensively. Ultra-rapid cycling is or any cycling for that matter is known as bipolar II. People with this disorder do not reach full blown mania but rather hypomania. It is rare to cycle several times within a day but it does happen. Rapid cycling is cycling a minimum of four times in a year. The onset of bipolar II does not begin with ultra-rapid cycling. Bipolars who cycle rapidly have or will cycle normally. One factor a pdoc will look at when diagnosing bipolar disorder is family history.
Last summer, I thought that I was experiencing hypomanic at times and I expressed this to my pdoc. When I was in his office talking to him, sometimes I felt this "adrenaling rush" and expressed this to him also. Even though I had a flight of ideas, my speech was pressured and I felt like jumping around in his office he stated that hypomanics do not just think about it, they actually do it. He told me that if I was hypomanic, that I would not be able to shutup, that I would be talking about ludicrous things and that I would not be able to sit still in my chair.
One easy way to determine hypomania is little sleep. Not just insomnia from ADs but rather 2-3 hours of sleep a night and waking up feeling energized. Full blown mania is characterized by days on end without sleep. So if you are sleeping more than six hours a night then you can rule out bipolar disorder. I hope this helps. Good luck!
poster:Andre Allard
thread:36911
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000610/msgs/36966.html