[SamuelAdams1313]

Please explain what mania and hypomania are. what would an episode be like? what are your personal experiences?

[thickntired]

Originally Posted by SamuelAdams1313

Please explain what mania and hypomania are. what would an episode be like? what are your personal experiences?

I don't really know what I feel as in the difference between hypo and straight mania. But when I am manic I do things like: go on shopping sprees, dress or act slutty, make terrrible decisions like quit my job or undergo elective surgery, feel paranoia or psychosis if it's bad enough. During those times I have accused my husband of affairs, having me followed, went to the dean of my college to report a satanic cult following me, and felt like I was superior & grandiose.

It's really kind of hard to explain, but at the time everything seems so freaking REAL. I was psychotic at my pdoc office and thought she was a quack to call me bipolar because these things were so damn realistic.

Sorry I don't have a more positive reply, but my bipolar gets me irritated. Some people enjoy mania and go off their meds on purpose - Not Me.

Peace & Hugs,

TnT

[Odee]

Apparently the line between hypomania and mania is psychosis -- hypomania is not defined by any sort of psychosis. However, the line still seems very blurry to me.

"Hypomanic" symptoms I experience would be intense anxiety, sleeplessness, restlessness, and it's all very negative.

[Moose72]

I posted here a few months ago when I was manic. It was hard to follow.

[SamuelAdams1313]

I believe I might be going through rapid cycling right now...I wasn't very educated on the subject until researching the internet last night...I'm going through highs and lows throughout the day and have been pulling all nighters...only slept 12 hrs. in the past 4 days...it sucks..but once you're aware of what is happening then it makes it more bearable

[BipolaRNurse]

I've never been sure if my more intense "highs" were mania or hypomania.....the lines are pretty blurred. To me, hypomania is like the best feeling in the world---plenty of energy, tons of optimism, I can do anything, work like a dog all day and be ready to party all night, and will join a dozen committees because I'm passionate about all of those causes.

I have had some episodes that might have been full-blown mania, because they were much more extreme than my usual upswings. The last one was in June, and I was bouncing off the walls---couldn't sleep, couldn't be bothered to eat because I might miss something, fidgety (I never stopped tapping my fingers or shaking a leg all the time I was awake), couldn't shut up, and I didn't give a rat's @$$ if somebody didn't like it. I wasn't out of touch with reality, but I had absolutely NO insight and only called my pdoc when I was so out of control that I freaked out. That's when I was put on Zyprexa, which was a lifesaver as it brought me down within a couple of days.

Sometimes, though, even hypomania will turn on me and become dysphoric, where I've still got lots of energy but I'm PISSED. I'm irritable, touchy, hostile, and I don't give a flying fig if I hurt people by saying mean things. I can't count the number of times I've had to apologize to family members and friends for being a butt-head. This is probably the hardest part of my bipolar that they have to deal with, and of course I always feel horrible after I'm over the episode. Wish I could short-circuit that process!

[cocoabeans]

Hypo mania is happiness, really intense experiences, everything has meaning and that leads to all sorts of funny thoughts. I can talk for days on end, be really funny, angry and convincing. No need to sleep or eat. Just give me a coffee and a few cigarettes and I will be fine until the weird anxiety kicks in then it's all passionate about calming down, non stop movement and getting what I want and quick! Promotions, new jobs, plenty of friends and lots of sex! Sometimes I can be so impulsive that I'm saying or doing something before I realize I've thought it.

It's by far the best days of life.

[Miss Laura]

Hey there,

I had a nice long email there and some how deleted it grrr!!!

Here it goes again

Hypomania;

Feel no need for sleep under 3 hours
Feeling more hyper
Stop medication
Stop talking to my support network
Pacing
Anxieties
Talk a bit faster than normal
Bounce from topic to topic
Concentration starts to go

Mania;

Feels like Tigger on speed
Pressurised speech
Texting/Posting becomes erratic
No need for sleep at all
Forget to eat/drink
1 day consists of 72 hours
Shopping spree's
Drinking loads of alcohool
Psychosis/Delusions
Stop medication
Agitation
Anxiety
Concentration goes completely
Hypersexual

As you can see more Manic symptoms..... I am sure there is more lol! I have been told I show classic BP symptoms. Also that its very obviously especially now when I am off my meds making me more than Hypo-Manic but under full blown Mania

Everyone is different when it comes to their symptoms though

hold on! I get hypomanic episodes and they are aweful. I am out of control and I know it. It starts off all good and euphoric, but it always advances past that feel good and into out of control and I get really agitated and angry trying to keep control and I feel lost and I feel desperate and that's when I know I have a mental illness. It's not happy or fun.