Hi ZS,
I think it's really great that you are trying to become as knowledgable as possible about this disorder, it's one of those that is very hard to explain and even more to understand.
I doubt that I am one to help the most but since I was just kind of ck'ng things out and saw your question, I thought I would give you what my take has been of BP.
I have never really posted on any BP forums.
As with any illness there is different symptoms and degrees of BP disorder, I have to say I have been very fortunate the last few yrs as I haven't had any major flares either depression or manic.
BP is not always easily dx'ed, at least not so with me it was many, many yrs I was just treated for dep. and not BP, that probably has mostly to do with having always been on the move and not being with one dr for any legnth of time and never seeking care for manic episodes as I really like em, though I didn't know that was what was going on til not to many yrs ago.
Imagine the worlds largest roller coaster with the highest parts being so high up in the clouds and your feeling like the world revolves around and just for you, then imagine falling and falling in to the deepest. darkest pits of hell that no man has come back from so fast you didn't even have time to blink!
Myself I have to say that I never really knew that the ways I was feeling wasn't normal and that everyone didn't have these same feelings as I really can't remember a time of not.
Even though of late I haven't had any major flares I can go from up to down or vise-versa in the blink of an eye and many times in the course of a day.
I hope this helps you to understand some, I'm sure others will give you their veiw and medical terms, I just wanted to say hi and tell you my version of BP and let you know I have been reading many of your post and find you to be a really all right person, thanks for caring..
LindaM(suede)