Our aim was to extend the literature by examining the presence of manic symptoms in persons with intellectual deficits with and without bipolar disorder for 3 years. Three groups (bipolar, psychopathology other than bipolar disorder, and no Axis I diagnosis) were formed with 14 participants in each group. Initially, the presence of mania symptoms were examined across diagnostic groups. The bipolar group had significantly greater endorsements on the Parent Version of the Young Mania Rating Scale and the DASH-II Mania subscale item "decreased need for sleep" than did the other groups. A 3 (group) x 3 (year) ANOVA revealed that the item endorsements differed significantly over time for the bipolar group but not the other groups. Implications of these findings are discussed.