My exbph was first diagnosed with major depression...
put on meds.... after 18 months meds plateaued so the drs put him on a new one.
this new anti D ended up causing a dramatic change in him, which the pdoc said was mania, after this pdoc said he shouldnt be on anti ds anymore as they will send him manic.

the signs that my exbph was in a manic episode were:

drank heaps of coffee(usually a four cup a day coffee drinker and would go to at least ten cups a day)
not much food
way more cigarettes and more dope
he would talk more.. (Usually he was on the quiet side and not a fast talker.. very relaxed talker) and much faster
couldnt sit still. very restless.he once walked for 10 hours in one day.

These were all the signals he was on his way to mania and they continued through the episode.
once right in the episode he would be hypersexual and also get a lot of road rage and anger towards anything and everyone (usually NOT an angry person at all, usually a soft person)

years ago I read some info on Bipolar people and flying(in planes lol) .
Apparently caution is needed when people who are Bipolar fly (or drive) and change time zones.
Changing time zones, especially big ones, can lead trigger manic episodes. (sorry I cant remember where i read it. either on line or in a book about bipolar).

this link is interesting : http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/features/bipolar-disorder-handling-the-holidays

Studies show that people with bipolar disorder do best when they're on a schedule -- getting up, eating, exercising, and going to bed at roughly the same time each day. Even the loss of just one night of sleep can trigger a mood swing. But during the holidays -- when you may be traveling across time zones, partying, or staying up until the wee hours -- it's all too easy to get off track.

Take  what  you  need . . .  leave  the  rest .Blue_butterfly