In a similar way to yours, I also accept my Bipolar disorder. Yes I too experience very frequent mood shifts and bouts of Highs and Lows and I too ride the roller coaster.
My Cyclothymia (a type of Bipolar Disorder) is notorious for following the seasons. Spirng is a time of being High and the highs can continue through summer, always alternated with some depression. Autumn and Winter can be very depressive seasons and one explanation for this is the lack or abundance of day light. The days in Autumn and Winter are shorter.
However, in my case, I can say that the Cyclothymia cannot be compared to Bipolar I or Bipolar II because, in my case, the moods shift so rapidly and periodically that they present their own unique challenges for the person.
Bipolar one, for example, where the sufferer can experience one or two very severe episodes in the space of years, can require hospitalisation if the highs escalate into Mania. For Bipolar one, because my wife has it, medication is absolutely necessary to prevent relapse. However, in my wife's case, because she has a reasonably good life, the amount of medication can be kept at a minimum. I have never experienced Mania only Highs that do not become Mania.
I feel that this is why we cannot compare disorders because they are so different and they vary from person to person.
An important thing is that the length and strength of the mood swings can vary from person to person. Some people have long periods of depression, or highs, while others are rapid cyclers like me and on top of the rapid cycles we have the more marked seasonal changes.
What kind of BIpolar have you got, toffeegirl, if you don't mind me asking?
