Healthcare providers typically treat acute manic episodes with medications known as antipsychotics. These drugs can reduce manic symptoms more quickly than mood stabilizers. However, long-term treatment with mood stabilizers can help prevent future manic episodes.
According to a 2021 study, manic episodes last approximately 3.5 months on average. 2 For people who are not receiving treatment, a manic episode can last between three and six months. With effective treatment, the episode may end in under three months.
Research has shown that the most common trigger for episodes of mania is sleep loss. This can be in the form of sleep disturbances, disruption, jet lag, and an inconsistent sleep schedule. Sleep disturbances rarely cause episodes of hypomania, but it does happen—particularly in individuals with bipolar I.
There are three stages of mania: hypomania, acute mania and delirious mania. Classifications of mania are mixed states, hypomania and associated disorders.
When your mood shifts to mania or hypomania (less extreme than mania), you may feel euphoric, full of energy or unusually irritable. These mood swings can affect sleep, energy, activity, judgment, behavior and the ability to think clearly.
It's just one of your mood swings
Accusing somebody of being manic when they are genuinely excited about something can be quite painful. Accusing somebody of just having a mood swing when they seem down can be even worse if you then find out that something bad actually happened.
Bipolar episodes decrease brain size, and possibly intelligence. Grey matter in the brains of people with bipolar disorder is destroyed with each manic or depressive episode.
Lithium and quetiapine top the lists for all three phases of the illness: mania, depression, and the maintenance phase. Lurasidone and lamotrigine are either untested (lurasidone) or ineffective (lamotrigine) in mania, but they are essential tools for bipolar depression.
A few people only experience one or two episodes of mania or depression, but the vast majority experience more. If you have had more than one manic or depressive episode, chances are you will continue to have them throughout your life. Fortunately, bipolar disorder is treatable.
How long does a manic episode last? Early signs (called “prodromal symptoms”) that you're getting ready to have a manic episode can last weeks to months. If you're not already receiving treatment, episodes of bipolar-related mania can last between three and six months.
Become easily irritated by unexpected things.
“I get very short fused. Anger has always been tied into my mania. Not to mention the reckless behaviors and overspending way too much. I'll be productive, but the moment someone asks me to do a chore or another task, I flip out.” — Samantha G.
There isn't any clinical evidence that links bipolar disorder with lying, though some anecdotal accounts suggest there may be a connection. It's thought that some people with bipolar disorder may lie as a result of: racing thoughts and rapid speech.
A person with bipolar disorder may be unaware they're in the manic phase. After the episode is over, they may be shocked at their behaviour. But at the time, they may believe other people are being negative or unhelpful.
Manic episodes are common in people with bipolar I disorder. But they can also be caused by other factors and health conditions, including: Brain injuries.
People with bipolar disorder do better when they have support from family members and friends. They tend to recover more quickly, experience fewer manic and depressive episodes, and have milder symptoms.
high levels of stress. changes in sleep patterns or lack of sleep. using recreational drugs or alcohol. seasonal changes – for example, some people are more likely to experience hypomania and mania in spring.
Sometimes, if caught early enough, people experiencing mania can be kept out of the hospital. However, most episodes of mania require hospitalization in a psychiatric hospital for safety and stabilization. Any emergency room can initiate a hospitalization.
Untreated, an episode of mania can last anywhere from a few days to several months. Most commonly, symptoms continue for a few weeks to a few months. Depression may follow shortly after, or not appear for weeks or months. Many people with bipolar I disorder experience long periods without symptoms in between episodes.
Signs of a Manic Episode
Feeling wired, jumpy, or buzzed. Irritability. Not needing sleep, or feeling energetic despite getting little to no sleep for days at a time. Loss of appetite, and having lots of energy despite eating little food.
A manic breakdown or episode is an emotional state where an elevated or irritable mood exists for at least one week. The symptoms can disrupt your daily life and relationships. While manic episodes are not a disorder in themselves, they may be a symptom of bipolar and should be taken seriously.