I guess it depends on what your definition of racism is. Is he making racially charged statements or beating people? Or is he just fascinated with it?

Hmm, this is interesting. Well, the 'jewish conspiracy' thinking of Nazism certainly fits in with clinical paranoia, in my book. It's always --aliens, jews, CIA, KGB (back in the day) and so on. So I would say yes, it's possible.
I don't know about the collecting bit, but personally I think that the rage that comes with racism makes sense with manic agression.

Makes total sense- although I know some would say it's an excuse. But I think you have to look at how the person is when they're not manic- do they have antisemitism at all or racism or do they just go off when raging?

well...the intolerant, bloodyminded ...y'know stubborn, pigheaded aspect is very common to mania, sure..

No idea how this racist manifestation speaks to his world view when not unwell?? Hmmm.

Was he terribly ashamed & shocked when came to earth from this episode? that would be telling, I suppose?

Hard to say?? Yes, paranoid delusions come in many forms as Zsa said.

it stopped 'before' crossing into psychotic break??? oh, i thought he was psychotic. Oh. Hmmm. Confused, now!

Are you talking about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?

Wow....just wow...what else can I say...

How is this guy now? Does he say "Oops, my nazi-bad" or what? And may I ask what the psychosis involved (did it just morph into something else?)

Just curious.

And regards to #1, I would kindasortadefinitely call the behavior in question racism. (actually anti-semitism, to be persnickety about it)

uh, Quacked..I'm real curious now...what exactly IS your definition of Racism then?

The way it ended was that he became slightly depressed. That lasted about a year gradually building to deep suicidal depression.
I can't say what he thought about the incident, but the items were put away somewhere and I'm sure they were eventually thrown out. The people who cared about him never mentioned it again. I guess I should say he was not on medication and still believing he could stop these episodes if he tried hard. After failing to stop them I do believer he felt like a failure. And no, he was normally not a racist.
The comment that it did not reach the worst level of psychosis was my opinion based on observation. It never reached the truly terrified state during that episode.

displaying Nazi regalia and believing in wide spread Jewish conspiracy doesn't necessarily make him racist. A civil war buff that dresses in confederate regalia, doesn't mean he's racist. Unless he's actually going an shooting Yankees. And that doesn't necessarily make him racist either.

hmm, this is all interesting and puzzling. I wonder if in his depression he became horrified with himself. I would be.
Mania can bring out some really, really dark sides.
I've had mixed states where I feel all stabby-like. But I'm also rapidclycling so it fades quickly, usually.
It's so weird to think a mood could change your personality like that, and even your worldviews.
The failure-feelings actually fit in very well with scape-goating type of racism.
I once did a research paper on neo-nazis and the common theme was poor, white, damaged young guys (mostly) who felt impotent in life and blamed immigrants/jews/blacks whoever for all their problems. So maybe his feelings of failure came before the weird nazi phase.

BTW, I actually know someone who went like this- a friend of a friend. He thought he was going to be instantly rich and went it went awry he went gestapo. (unbalanced obviously as well)

wow, zsa...fascinating

#10 whaaaaaaa? So the jewish conspiracy/nazi thingie NOT racist? Kind of like in the way a blowjob isn't really sex?

Good for you for caring enough to ask.

""included grandiose statements about his German ancestry (he did not have German ancestors), """
This screams delusion. He HAS no German ancestors, yet he believed he did enough to the point of idealizing them.

""belief in a wide spread Jewish conspiracy,...""
Hello paranoia, long time no see. The belief in this isn't the paranoia part, the bigger indicator would be the level of ferocity of his fear of the 'conspiracy'.

"" and a fascination with Nazi regalia, collecting and displaying and so forth.""
Impulsive behavior with obsession thrown in.

"" It lasted about two months, building up to greater mania, but stopped before becoming psychotic. ""

Psychosis
Noun

S: (n) psychosis (any severe mental disorder in which contact with reality is lost or highly distorted) [From Princeton WordNet]

It sounds like there's psychosis in there to me. Mainly thinking he's German and also (as mentioned above) the level of fear about the conspiracy.

Yep,

Just like Richard Pryor telling distasteful jokes about white people = comedy

Don Imus making a distasteful comment on his radio program = racism

Racism is subjective. What one person believe to be racism, might not be to another person.