You might have
Mania and hypomania are symptoms that can occur with bipolar disorder. They can also occur in people who don't have bipolar disorder.
A common bipolar disorder symptom is mania, an extremely elevated mood state with increased alertness and energy. There are three stages of mania: hypomania, acute mania and delirious mania.
Bipolar I disorder is defined by manic episodes that last at least 7 days (most of the day, nearly every day) or when manic symptoms are so severe that hospital care is needed. Usually, separate depressive episodes occur as well, typically lasting at least 2 weeks.
Bipolar I disorder (most common condition for mania to occur). Seasonal affective disorder.
Manic episodes are not a symptom of ADHD, but a person with ADHD may experience some of the symptoms of a hypomanic episode. Although there may be some symptom similarities, the underlying causes of bipolar disorder and ADHD are different.
Cyclothymia symptoms alternate between emotional highs and lows. The highs of cyclothymia include symptoms of an elevated mood (hypomanic symptoms). The lows consist of mild or moderate depressive symptoms. Cyclothymia symptoms are similar to those of bipolar I or II disorder, but they're less severe.
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.
Don't criticise or accuse, and stay calm and non-confrontational. Explain that you've noticed changes in their behaviour and why it concerns you, and ask if they've noticed it too. If this has happened before, gently remind them of this and explain the pattern you see.
Kraepelin, however, divided the “manic states” into four forms—hypomania, acute mania, delusional mania, and delirious mania—and noted that his observation revealed “the occurrence of gradual transitions between all the various states.” In a similar vein, Carlson and Goodwin, in their elegant paper of 1973, divided a ...
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.
Manic symptoms can include increased energy, excitement, impulsive behaviour, and agitation. Depressive symptoms can include lack of energy, feeling worthless, low self-esteem and suicidal thoughts. You can also have psychotic symptoms.
The defining characteristics of mania include increased talkativeness, rapid speech, a decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts, distractibility, increase in goal-directed activity, and psychomotor agitation.
Manic episodes cause euphoria, increased energy and activity, and lack of sleep. Psychotic episodes may occur during depression or mania and can cause a person to become delusional or to hallucinate.
The main sign of bipolar disorder is extreme mood swings that go from emotional highs to emotional lows. Manic episodes cause people to seem very energetic, euphoric, or irritable. During depressive episodes, your loved one may seem sad, upset, or tired all the time.
During manic episodes, people with bipolar disorder may experience a heightened sense of sexuality. It's only when this is paired with other symptoms of bipolar mania—including risk-taking, impulsivity, and poor judgment—that it can shift into problematic hypersexuality.
Many people feel as though they are somewhat "manic" and energized when they have anxiety. But anxiety doesn't cause or contribute to mania. The reason that mania occasionally contributes to anxiety is because manic episodes themselves can be extremely stressful.
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.
To diagnose bipolar disorder, a doctor performs a physical exam, asks about your symptoms, and recommends blood testing to determine if another condition, such as hypothyroidism, is causing your symptoms. If the doctor does not find an underlying cause of your symptoms, he or she performs a psychological evaluation.
Borderline personality and bipolar: These two disorders are often confused. They both have symptoms of impulsiveness and mood swings.
As a consequence, Schwartz says, those with bipolar disorder are often misdiagnosed as having depression and may be given inappropriate treatment. “When bipolar disorder is missed, people can be put on medication that actually worsens the manic symptoms,” Schwartz says.
Bipolar disorder is primarily a mood disorder. ADHD affects attention and behavior; it causes symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. While ADHD is chronic or ongoing, bipolar disorder is usually episodic, with periods of normal mood interspersed with depression, mania, or hypomania.