Composing a purely instrumental story about bipolar disorder is a major challenge. However, the extreme range of feelings does open up many possibilities, which shows in The Ups And Downs Project.
The story starts with building up tension. The Ouverture contains a number of themes that will be repeated later, in different versions. The main character and his environment are confronted with the facts and the chaos they cause.
There is a lot of grief, and the awareness that everyone involved has to deal with those feelings (In Low Spirits). There are also moments of peace and satisfaction (At Ease), but sometimes fear returns very suddenly (Fear). The moments of rest usually evolve into a sense of I-can-handle-the-world (Let's Have Some Fun).
The main theme of the story is then played in a different version (Breathing Space) and conveys a sense of resignation. That's also an opportunity to ask the main character why there is no communication possible (Why Don't You Listen).
However, communication is possible with the psychiatrist (Good Advice), sometimes with obvious frustration and anger. The following themes show the fluctuations in mood (Let's Have Some Fun, In Low Spirits, Chaos), which sometimes result in a very severe form of lethargy, where communication is almost impossible, and where deep sadness dominates (Silence).
In We Can Talk About It, things become a bit lighter, in a conversation between the main character, his girlfriend, his best friend and at the end the psychiatrist.
After a last burst of panic (Panic), the main theme is rebuilt to a climax.
Resignation and acceptance, life goes on (Moving On).