Hi no-one, my boyfriend is bipolar too. Right now he is interned thank god in a clinic, I think is pretty common for them to start the manic stage in summer, I don't think this is for everyone but i've heard a couple of cases that go through the same stages as my boyfriend does. Like around may, they start the manic stage, with summer. Then around august and september, they start with the deppression and in winter it gets it's worst. Again I tell you that this is what he goes through and i've heard it in others too. Hope it helps.

Thanks for your reply. You know how it is..You want to love and be there for them but you get no clues or warnings. It just happens and then they're like nothing ever happened. Right now i'd be so happy if he popped out of it and was allright again. I miss him so much. The frightening thing is that you never really know if they've broken up with you or not and you just keep hoping they'll come around. I also know that when they're in their down cycle that they say things they don't mean. It takes patience.

I just wish I knew how long these cycles can take. In the past 3 months rod has had cycles that take a couple of days and then maybe a week or two. Any comments anyone?

my doctor told me that if the cycles are less than a month or so long, it's probably not bipolar. Even rapid cycling happens only 4 or 5 times in a year. I'm a little confused about it myself. Then there's ultra rapid cycling that can happen over a few weeks and even ultradian that is supposed to happen within a 24 hour period. So... bottom line is I still don't think I'm sure.

I know that my cycles very. Some just a day or two, others can last up to a week or more. Now that I am on Depakote etended release, it seems to have lessened a great deal. I did not do well taking 250mg three times a day. This works much better for me. Guess it all depends how your body and mind respond.