Mania manifests itself in varying degrees and forms. It would be easier to help you if you described what you are feeling...if you are comfortable doing that...(hugs)

One side effect of a Manic episode is not knowing your having one. It helps to have someone pay attention to your actions.

Ok I can do that. I'm wanting to stay closed off in my room. Crying and getting hurt easily. And feeling very unloved and unsupported like everyone is coming against me.

I am hearing persecutory ideations, anxiety and desire to isolate. Sounds more like a depressive episode to me, but could be the low side of a mixed state. Are u sleeping? How is your appetite? How would you describe your general emotive response, i.e. sad, angry, etc...? What meds were u on?

hi caring,
try looking at:

www.mixednuts.net/bipolar.html

it describes stuff very well.

Not sleeping well. On and off at night. Also feeling sad, crying a lot, and angry because I feel like no one understands. I was on paxil and respirdol

one way i know a manic phase is creeping up is when i start talking really fast and my thoughts are really racing in my head. if someone asks how i'm feeling, i can't even get the emotion out before feeling something completely different. also, i get alot of panic attacks when i'm manic.

For me I want to spend money, start smoking, go dancing skantily clad, and go have an affair with my first love.

caring... gotta hop of here for a sec... will be right back to discuss this further... just hang on and dont go anywhere!! xx

its hard to know..my best friend is the one who pointed out that i "could" be manic..but she is the one who believes in standing on faith and not claiming anything..its not that i dont believe that way its that i have a hard time believing for myself..and when i do have something wrong..i usually have to keep it inside because if i dont then she makes me feel so unworthy...i love her dearly..really i do..but im having such a hard time right now and she just dont see it..last night she told me we were going to start praying together and then this morning she said i needed someone to pray with me who had been through all that i had..it made me feel like she didnt care at all and i dont know how to tell her this...

I have eventually learned to spot some of the warning signs, it is usually after the manic episode has already started though. Insomnia is the first clue, no need for sleep or inability to sleep despite taking sleep meds, Seroquel, Ambien, etc. Speech gets very, very fast. I start feeling like I've had a million espresso double shots all of the sudden though I don't consume caffeine, pupils get big, people & the rest of the world seem to be moving very slow, racing thoughts & ideas, words appear in my head - like things I want to write maybe stories, ideas, etc. Sudden desires to write songs, draw, try new things, meet new people, cravings for alcohol, irritability, finding humor in the strangest places. Those are all things to watch for. If the crying, hopelessness & apathy are mixed in with that, then you have yourself a mixed state. If this is the case, please get some help right away. Call your pdoc & tell them you are experiencing a mixed state. These can become quite serious.

i dont have a problem with the rapid speech, although i do have a problem with the racing thoughts. insomnia seems to be a constant...i thought at first it was my sleeping habits but since i changed hours at work and am only working two days a week, i know its not that. i drink alot of caffiene but its never really had an effect. coffee makes me sleepy lol. i dont have a pdoc..dont have any doc for that matter as of now i am uninsured and cant afford one..

To me it sounds as if you are depressed more than manic, but possibily a mixed state.
Try changing your routine slightly, setting a bedtime, getting uo at a certain time, setting yourself tasks during the day.
For me a manic phase feels amazing and yet I get very angry because things never go the way I plan and I get frustrated with everything around me.
If the meds made you feel like you were going crazy then maybe they were the wrong meds, the important thing is that your here asking of help and advice.

There's a hospital near me that has a clinic that is used for training new doctors. They treat mostly uninsured and under-insured people. They charge on a sliding scale. They don't advertise it and I found it by accident. Check the hospitals and clinics around you to see if they have anything like that.

Texas has something called MHMR, they offer free services and meds to people with BiPolar Disorder and/ or Major Depressive Disorder... does your state have anything like that?