[nandm]

Some but not all people with bipolar disorder experience a dramatic increase in symptoms at certain times of the year. These are called cycles. When the illness is young, cycles are more irregular, but as the disease matures, most individuals develop two to four episodes at about the same times every year. If the disease worsens, the number of episodes per year increases.

Someone told me I had "rapid cycling" bipolar disorder. What is that?
If you have more than four episodes of mania or depression in a year, you are said to suffer from rapid cycling. All the legitimate research that you will read about rapid cycling uses this definition.

I was told that I'm a rapid cycler because I have lots of angry episodes every day. Is this diagnosis correct?
When people have rapid emotional changes throughout the day, this can be emotional lability, rather than rapid cycling. Actually, sudden, brief outbursts of anger and/or depression are common in many mental and emotional situations. Having emotional lability does not prove that you have bipolar disorder.

Do people have symptoms between bipolar episodes? Yes. Between episodes, people with bipolar illness often experience symptoms like persistent insomnia, anger, social anxiety, and struggles with communication and relationships. Patients often exhibit distractibility , difficulty staying on topic, and poor logical thought. There are sometimes illogical beliefs and obsessions that continue after the more obvious symptoms are gone. These events are much less likely to occur when your illness is adequately treated.

Why do some people in online groups state that they are perfectly fine without treatment? They say I'm an idiot because I take medications.
You are smart, not an idiot. There are lots of claims of self-cures but none have been proven true. Many people have tried to prove to themselves that they are fine by telling others that it is so. Lots of people with bipolar disorder have symptom-free periods, but without treatment, these periods never last.

I had a bipolar episode two months ago. Recently I stopped my medications and I'm fine now. Am I cured? One of the unique features of bipolar disorders is that individuals may feel fine between their cycles. Everyone would like to believe that their illness has magically disappeared, but studies show that you are likely to relapse within two to three months after you stop your medications.