Well, I don't call anything I do or say normal - I don't believe there is such a thing. I have experienced a "baseline" mood which may mean normal to some also known as stability.
After staying on my meds, I had stability for 6 years. The only reason I lost that was due to childbirth and Post Partum Depression.

Everyone's experience with BP is so different. To compare one anothers' depression bouts to our own isn't going to help.
What CAN help YOU is keeping track of your moods - charting them. Especially for us females who have cycles. I am more depressed a week before and first week of my period.

Number one priority for any of us who are experiencing a lot of depression, mixed states, or mania - call Pdoc about meds. This usually means something isn't quite right with medication.

I hope you come out of your depression soon. I empathize and understand. Hugs to you!

I believe norms and depressions are situational. They are based on sleep and stress and meds (if your on them). I am a rapid cycler so I have shorter norms. But, I know myself so well. I have coping methods for the depression, and I have someone to reel me in if I'm getting too manic. I'm a control freak, so I do the best I can to control my BP self.

I agree with Luv.

What they call a "base line"...I guess ,I was always amped up..a natural hypomanic.Untill my first phycotic depressive episode.For the last 5 years,I've been mostly mixed and depressed.Not any "fun,hypo".....just started anew med(Depakote)and my life has totally turned around,for the better.8 weeks ago,I was ready to give up on everything.
Then ,I did like evryone always says...keep trying the meds,untill I found the right one.
I don't know how long this GREAT feeling will last.But I will keep trying,because now I know,that we can find a good place again.

Unmedicated, I used to run in 3 month cycles where one mood -- depression, 'normal', and hypo -- would predominate, although I'm almost always in a mixed state.

My depression bouts have lasted 5-10 months. My huge hypomanic episode lasted just over a year!! Otherwise being "norm" although I don't know WHAT normal is anymore probably about 6-12 months.

My depression lasts for years at a time sprinkled with a few days of being upbeat

I think I always had hypomania until my first bout of depression, which lasted about a month and a half. Since then its been a rollercoaster of meds making me hypomanic, then i crash, then hypomanic, then crash. The antidepressants would work for five or six months and then inevitably i would become depressed again out of nowhere and be nonfunctional. I am now on both an AD and a mood stabilizer so hopefully the cycle won't happen as harshly again. To me the depressions are longer because they sneak up on you and once you realize how bad off you are, it seems as if it has lasted a very long time.