I plan on asking my daughters psych about this but we don't see him for a few weeks and I can't find anything on the internet. My daughter is bipolar. She's only 12 and has had the symptoms since she was 2. It took us nearly 10 years to get it figured out and during that time I was doing research like crazy. I've learned a lot about it but I have a couple questions. Do any of you who are bipolar, get the cycles "backwards"? Like depression that's followed by mania? I was diagnosed with clinical depression when I was 15 and it comes and goes every year or so. But it always ends with a week or so of me sleeping very little and having these unrepressable needs to do art, write books or sculpt or various other things. I get massive amounts of these projects done in a very short time but toward the end it's like..I wish I could stop. I don't go on spending sprees, don't have affairs, (although I do get completely obsessed with sex and need it more than usual - 3-5x a day with my husband, more with myself LOL!!) I don't have delusions that I'm aware of and I don't act "crazy", I just can't stop the outpouring of ideas. But I've never heard of bp starting with depression so I always assumed it was just part of me feeling better. ?!?! Now I'm not so sure. Any input is appreciated!