after my last manic episode i am kind of terrified of going there again.

i loved it so much i let it run its course to the point where it turned dysphoric and then my life sucked for the rest of the year.

maybe after some more rest i will want to induce it again...

I feel the same as you. ANd I have "induced" a manic episode or two. I over all think it is not the best of ideas.

Makes sense, Snow. Sometimes I forget the mania always ends in worse depression. Still, it feels so good!

love the mania hate the crash....but I am like you. I stay depressed most of the time....not a hella choice is it?

That is brilliant, inducing mania by lack of sleep. Lack of sleep is always what triggers my worst mania and I an so sick and tired of being depressed. I like and understand that idea.

It's possible and probable but not wise, at least in my opinion. The mania/depression cycle has been the worst part of my life. And in a review of the process I find that I've never been hospitalized or strapped to a bed because I was depressed. For me mania equates to total dysfunction. So no thanks!

s/one said sth here about there 'not being a ceiling' on mania...that's how I feel...it's a scary thing....hypomania fun but leads to mania.

Simon, I'm not sure if you're kidding or not. I don't want this post to make someone else do something unwise. I'd probably have better judgment were it not so late.

I dont think I have conciously triggtered a manic episode but I know that I am definantly triggered and I cant see why I couldnt replicate it.... like planning a family function... that pushes me over the top... Oh wait I did that... hence the mania atm

Buggy, that's kinda funny -- the family function bit. God help us!

I have heard of sleep deprivation being used as a treatment for depression but I believe that was for unipolars. If I were you I wouldn't do it w/o talking to pdoc because you might crash from the hypomania and then be worse than before.

Not a good idea, although I understand how tempting it can be (I've actually done the same thing). Not sleeping can trigger hypomania -OR- depression (or make your depression worse). Then there's always the possibility of not sleeping, being hypomanic for a while, and then cycling the other way and becoming really depressed (as we all know hypomania can't last forever and what usually follows is..well..you know). If you are feeling down, maybe you should look into pdoc prescribing an SSRI?

i am not a clinician, BUT, i have stayed up all night, when ive been depressed for weeks and nothing else is working, for me its safe to do for one night, and yes, it helps a bit... i am BP II also

This is fascinating! I wish I had stayed up later last nite cuz I feel like crap today!!

Staying up all night has never pushed me into mania or hypomania. I think it's the other way around. I have bipolar 2 and mostly I'm depressed and just pray for the hypomania for a relief from the depression. I know I can induce it with a low dose of Welbutrin. pdoc didn't want to give me an anti depressant because didn't want to trigger me. So for 5 years I cried every day. He finally put me on one and I'm okay on the low dose, most days, not all. Never get manic though.