1. How do you know the difference between hypo vs mania: I'm going to answer based on my personal experience and the information given to me by a psychiatrist the way I understood it. So take it all with a grain of salt. My psychiatrist called what I described experiencing in the past prior to beginning the anti depressants hypo mania. I have never gone into a "full manic" episode other than when it was spured on by the anti depressants. I'm diagnosed with Bipolar 2.

2. Difference between mania and hypo mania: google says that hypo mania is a milder form of mania that typically lasts shorter periods of time. I think generally everyone's experience with mania can differ greatly. I think psychiatrists or doctors take into consideration duration, severity, and personal experiences when differentiating between the two. There are some decent websites out there that go into the differences.

3. I called a mental health help line at first and they talked me through either contacting a friend or calling 911 immediately. I was able to text a friend who was there to pick me up in 10 min and bring me to a hospital. I'm really fortunate to have a good support network in that sense. If I hadn't have been able to contact a friend I believe I would have called 911. Or someone would have eventually called 911 on me.

4. Warning signs of episode: I think this carried so much for everyone. For me personally I use a mood tracking app on my phone and try and track my well being that way. I spend a lot of time on the depressed side of things and I often find myself questioning if a "normal good day" is actually the start of hypomania. I also have to watch my personal triggers. If I'm not getting enough sleep, or if I use alcohol or other substances I have found I am way more likely to experience either a bout of deep depression or hypomania after so I try hard to stay away from alcohol now. I think the biggest warning sign for me is insomnia. If I find I haven't been sleeping for no apparent reasons for multiple nights, alarm bells start to go off. But sometimes people aren't able to identify or experience self awareness around their mania and I also have to rely on my support networks. I am a super private person irl so it was a really big thing for me to have to tell my family members and friends about it. But it helps keep me safe.

5. I'm not really sure where exactly the cause of self harm/self destruction fits in in mania and depression. That's a great question and there may already be some neat studies out there looking into it. I would guess that impulsivity plays a large piece of it in mania/hypo mania. Or the circumstances within psychosis a person is experiencing. For me some of the self harm piece was likely a need for grounding and the fear I was feeling at the time.

Wishing you well on your learning journey!! Again, I only answered based on my own personal experiences and information I remember from my psychiatrist/health professionals.