[Risso]

I think I can usually tell when high, because the excitement is off the scale along with the other criteria symptoms. But it's just occurred to me I might have been experiencing a mood the last few days without knowing, I don't know, is it possible for mania/hypomania to feel so subtle you don't notice it?

For the last few days I've woken up after 3-4 hours wide awake, but I've been very irritable and not elevated. I've also been plagued by such intense racing thoughts that it feels like I'm loosing my mind, I literally have no control of mind. Along with that I'm getting many ideas but it's not enjoyable. For example every single thing I watch on TV inspires me to want to do something, like I watched a documentary about Phillip Glass, the composer and had a huge urge to learn piano and have been researching music degrees and tried to get a loan for a piano (along with trying to get a loan for a boat because I was so angry with society I felt it would be the best escape route). I watched a documentary about the Rwandan Genocide and felt so traumatized and passionate that I've been thinking and researching it constantly.

When I'm out and about I see everyone with contempt, I had a massive argument with a woman on the jobcentre because she dared to speak over my very loud voice. It wasn't even an argument, it was a dressing down and I just wanted to scream at her that she doesn't know who I am or what I can do. I just feel so much better than everyone else on every level. But with massive confusion and anxiety.

I guess the confusion lies in that I don't feel increased energy or restlessness, I've just been feeling incredibly bored and a bit down with the rest of it. Any insight would be appreciated, thanks.

[gayleggg]

I have had it sneak up on me and take a couple of days before I realize it's mania.

[A Red Panda]

It can take me a few days to clue in that I'm hypomanic. But then I'm like "oh... ok... well, that's great!" lol. But I follow my rules and I will at that point do things such as force myself to park it n bed all night.

[Pikku Myy]

I am trying to learn to recognize this so called "high". Seems to be easier for me when I am in mixed state and in a roller coaster ride thruout the day...

[BipolaRNurse]

I have poor insight when going into mania. I tend to call my hypomania "pre-hypomania" and by the time I recognize that I'm hypomanic, I'm crossing into manic territory. There have been instances though when I've actually felt full-blown mania hit me within something like 12 hours of becoming hypomanic.....those are pretty serious and I'm apt to become mean and nasty rather than happy and hyperactive.

[Gray Rider]

My two times I did not notice at all until it was too late, damage done.

[Justugh]

i can never tell ........it is life to me depressed numb or happy (on pills at a certain point it is always zombie so count that as permit numb)

so i always keep ppl around me to slap me up the back side of the head and say no ...they tell me to stop but if it is full blown i am going to need bail money

[akandthekitty]

I usually feel it the night before it starts, I cant sleep and dont feel the need to sleep either. In my manic episodes I can function on 2-3 hours of sleep. During the episodes I can annoy myself, I talk very quick and do not like to be interrupted not even to tell me to slow down in my mind that means youre not listening to me (during mania). As a child my mother always referred it to being on ZOOM. Im typically extremely happy. The best way for me to put it is I believe I can build a house in a day.

I can never tell,last week my T was emailing Acute Care Team and he called me over to look at my relapse prevention chart that i helped make. He was going through my warning signs and I didn't even realise thats what they were. I went to see the emergency pdoc who changed my meds .I was stuck for a month in a mixed state only my mixed states tend to turn to mania.

[nicole84]

I can usually tell when it seems more 'extreme' to me than normal. Although I didn't realise I've apparently been in a mixed episode for the last god knows how long, but that's what my new pdoc has said. It made sense when he explained it all to me. Telling me I'm primarily manic when I'm also getting low during being 'up' confused me for a moment. Then it all just clicked.

I'm having days where I don't sleep at all, some where I feel great then really mixed, I probably wouldn't be sleeping without any med assistance which is currently not much as I'm about to start a new regime. Get a few hours here and there, get the agitation and paranoia.

And here I am off rambling again. Still in this ******* episode. I actually wasn't aware that they could last SO LONG. Then I saw someone mention over a year in an episode. Like, whoa.

Oh, I've had times when I haven't really realised as well and a friend pointed out to me that I seemed really manic. That was about 7 months ago and I was on a low dose mood stabiliser at the time, clearly wasn't fixing it.

[Blitter2014]

I can only tell post mania. It creeps up on me fairly slowly. When I'm normal the depression is still there in the background lurking. But as the mania begins I don't recognize it as the only difference is not feeling depressed. Then comes the overconfidence, poor judgement, superhuman energy and impulsive behavior. Because it happens gradually and it feels so good I don't stop long enough to analyze whats happening, I'm too busy enjoying it.

Its only afterwards, days,weeks later after I've crashed that I can see whats happened. By then its too late and I'm in damage control......

[Crazy Hitch]

In the beginning- when I'm starting a hypo phase - and only if it's the happy kind - then yeah I can feel it. When I'm manic then I may as well be on another planet. If I'm irritable hypo then it's everyone else's fault cause they're the ones annoying me

[srf1909]

I know I'm manic when I can't sleep and am very irritable. I never become super happy. That would be too much to hope for. Instead I get really emotional, talk really fast, and have some many racing thoughts that I want to beat my head on a wall until they go away. I get lots of ideas but don't necessarily have the energy to do anything of them. Just want to crawl in a whole. I am in a manic episode now going on 6 days. Ugh!!!!!

[Risso]

Thanks for all your replies. It's good to know I'm not alone in possibly not realising when mood changes occur. I'm still none the wiser. Was up all night but slept 8 hours in the day but I now have huge energy and motivation and passion and it's great, I've missed it! I don't care what the reason for that is right now

It depends on how the symptoms are playing out. When it's as "I'm a genius/getting everything and a half done/ laughing at nothing/ feeling invincible" sorts of things, I tend to recognize it. (Well, and seeing that jaw-dropped WTF?! look on people's faces, haha.) Even if they're happening along with less positive things like "ugh, people are so slow and stupid and/or wanting to buy uncharacteristic things etc..

I don't tend to recognize it is when it's in negative form… extreme irritability, frustration with every.flipping.thing etc. I think it might be because those are things I experience in depression too. They do happen a bit differently, but it's hard to recognize which direction they're indicating on account of being too much in the intensity to be able to step back. In hypo, it's from thinking being too jumbled and fast paired with total impatience. In depression, it's from the overwhelm. That the world keeps demanding of me what I can't manage.

So… yes. And no.

[sidney1771]

I never took illegal drugs or anything to intentionally get high, so I had no clue that I was high on a medication, my therapist told me. I guess yelling at the football game and then the baseball game on TV, constantly pacing, my heart racing and random fidgeting should have been a clue. Of course my first orgasm happened while I was working out at the gym and had no clue what that sensation was either. In hindsight, I'm glad I kept those feelings to myself at the time.

[HighOnHotSauce]

My mania usually takes a few days to almost a week until I finally recognize it. In the past, it's been kind of too late by the time I realized what was up, but the combination of meds I'm on now help a lot with that. .

[wildflowerchild25]

I'm very insightful to my moods. I'm borderline obsessive at figuring out what's going on on any given day. For instance I know right now that I'm bordering on hypomania. I'm still sleeping though I'm also taking 200mg of trazadone but my thoughts are racing and I'm irritable and kind of confident as well as energetic. My dr is taking me off the Wellbutrin slowly.