If your friend refuses help, nothing else really matters. No one does anything until the moment THEY want to do it. Your best bet is to refuse to loan the money and let him figure it out himself. This is the path he chose; get out of his way and let him get the help he needs on his own timing. Your job is not to manage his life. It will drive you INSANE if you try to do it. Trying to manage someone else's bipolar condition when they don't even acknowledge that they need help seems pretty ludicrous doesn't it? I know you care about your friend, but this is his problem, not yours. That may come across kind of harsh, but I'm giving this to you from the perspective of someone who is Bipolar.

There is a lot more to bipolar than just the mania/hypomania side to it. People seem to do a variety of things - it depends on the person. I've physically injured others in a fit of rage. I've also self injured during fits of rage. And I've thrown phones, remotes and have hit my computers during fits of rage. Apparently, I do not respond well to technology.

I've buried myself in so many activities that my boyfriend felt that I was totally neglecting him (i.e., I was booked solid for weeks in a row in activities that did not include him). Others may experience such irritability and frustration that being around them is extremely difficult for other people. What I've heard is that in a "true" mania/hypo phase, someone usually gets "hurt". So, bipolar people tend to have difficulty sustaining things; jobs, relationships, etc.

I've also experienced what others would consider to be delusions of grandiosity (in my case; narcissistic tendencies that to me, seem perfectly normal because YES, my time is more important than anyone elses and YES, you do need to get out of my way so I can get through and YES, you need to drop what you are doing to wait on me immediately because I simply cannot bear to wait. That's the kind of the mindset I have in a hypomania phase. Intellectually I get that isn't exactly valid, but somehow I'm not entirely embarrassed by the fact that this week alone I threw major hissy fits (i.e., created a big scene) at the valet, the bank and eye doctor's office. I think some of it was justified. But "normal" people wouldn't respond to those situations the same way I did.

So those are a few of the ways I experience my hypomania phases; I know I talked about more of my hypomania stuff in other posts, so you might want to check out some of those too.

Thanks for your insight. I've read a couple of your posts on the forum and you definitely give a descriptive picture of bp.

Mania presents in many ways but it is generally hallmarked with unusually high levels of energy, decreased need for sleep, pressured speech, irritability, agitation, risky behavior, impulsive behavior, extremely poor judgement, rages, combative behavior, an inability to complete projects, sexual promiscuity, overspending, grandiosity, delusions, and sometimes hallucinations. There are more but these hit the highlights.
The flip side of this disorder is the depression. It can be devastating. There is a complete lack of motivation or interest in life. Often the person is unable to find enough energy to complete the basic activities of daily living. There is a horrid sense of dread and doom. Often there is a feeling of hopelessness and helplessness. A total lack of self worth is hallmark. Some people experience auditory hallicinations (may be present during mania as well). Suicide is always a concern.

I hope this offers you some insight. There are many nuances to this disorder. Read some of the other posts. It will provide a better picture of this disorder. All the best.

I can't speak for anyone else, but this is my experience with Hypomania (never had any mania):

-Extreme energy: I can stay up and energized for hours and days on end
-Risk seeking behavior: I would do risky things for the thrill of it. Never things that would injure or hurt anyone else, but things that would get my adrenaline pumping: promiscuous with many partners, drinking hard and fast, diving and pushing the limits in terms of depth, looking for "trouble" at work, etc...
-Hedonistic Behaviour (Pleasure seeking): Sex with multiple partners, heavy drinking, wine drinking (love the taste!), binge eating, etc...
-Lack of sleep: I have so much energy I barely sleep
-Irritability: I never get angry or aggressive, but I get irritated easily. If I'm at work, nobody notices because I control myself. In social or personal settings I either argue with people or avoid them.
-Binge behaviour: Binge drinking, binge eating, binge sex, binge spending and buying
-Increased productivity: Not to toot my own horn, but I'm very good at my job and am very productive. When hypomanic, I get even more productive because I tend to focus on work and work feverishly without the need or desire for rest.
-I do not get aggressive or violent.
-I do not lose focus or the ability to concentrate.
-I do not have any hallucinations nor do I lose touch with reality.

Your responses have been helpful. Jonathan56 much of what you described i witnessed with my friend. He's actually undiagnosed but for the past 2 years i've known him i noticed that alot of his actions are different. He'd also look for "trouble" at work which in turn got him in trouble with supervisors. He also did the binge eating too but then he'd flip and wouldn't hardly eat a few weeks later in an effort to lose weight (he was in great shape) and he'd also exercise quite a bit. He would also overspend quite a bit to the point where he drained his bank account. There was also some hyper sexuality during this time and he was notorious for surfing myspace and meeting random women.....

tyf826...glad my experiences can help.

As usual...anything I say has to be taken with a grain of salt. But if your friend is experiencing all those symptoms, you should perhaps (politely and depending what kind of relationship you have with him) recommend he see a doctor/psy.

Trust me on this one...hypomania feels like a "great" thing. And sometimes it is. But uncontrolled, it can lead to terrible things. Sadly, it's not all about willpower and sometimes meds and counselling can help. My hypomaic episodes got me into trouble more than once....and with time the "incidents" usually go from bad to worse.

Good luck!