Bipolar 2 - When does it become hypomania vs good mood

Hi Everyone,

I was just diagnosed with Bipolar 2, which completely makes sense to me and has given me a lot to think about when reflecting back on my struggles with mental health.

Anyhow... one of my biggest frustrations before I even got my diagnosis was my fluctuating moods and how it makes it difficult to make decisions (never know how I will feel and never know which feeling are accurate).

I have been in a very bad depression for a few months, and yesterday I noticed I was feeling better and by bed time I was talking and talking to my husband whereas normally I would have a hard time saying much. I was thinking about all the stuff I wanted to get done for work. It took much effort to get to bed.

This morning I have a serious spring in my step and before 9 am got 2 things done for work, made breakfast & lunch for the kids and got them out the door... which is a big change for me. I feel quite energised and motivated...

So my question is... I am wondering.. is this hypomania? It just feels like such a switch from being so depressed to this? At the same time, it feels like maybe what "normal" people might feel like every day?

I realised even typing a message this long is pretty wordy for me...

Any thoughts or insights?

I have Bipolar 2 also so understand your question completely.
I have the same issue, sometimes I think I'm just in a good mood but I am actually
hypo, my girlfriend can tell the difference far better than I can, but when she points
out certain things that I am doing I realize she is right.
I am not a doctor or an expert but it sounds like you are hypo to me.

It sounds like hypomania. For me the intensity varies a lot from cycle to cycle. It also varies from person to person. I usually get abnormally happy and intense but have learned to catch myself when it happens in order to calm down because I fear the following depression. I also have a cycle between hypomania and depression which is usually one week but it can vary.

How was your sleep last night? Sometimes that's a clue. Best wishes.

Good mood, is just that, hypomania, is a cluster of symptoms...

When I'm unsure I check the list of symptoms to gain some self awareness, also I don't react to it (try to "fix it") unless its negatively impacting my level of functionality.

I never could figure out the line between my normally jovial nature and hypomania. Meds have killed that nature though, and now I spend most of the time on the slightly depressed spectrum.

That is exactly how I feel. I to am on the slightly depressed spectrum most days.

It wasn't too bad but I had one heck of a time falling asleep because I didn't want to shut up. :P I was pretty wound up this morning but I seem to be pretty normal now.

I think to figure this out, it's important to know your baseline. What is your range of emotions normally?

Most people (i.e. those with and without BP) experience a wide range of emotions, from down to up (and everything in between) and all of this can be perfectly normal. Have you had other times when you've felt really happy, but then it turned out not to be hypo? I think when you're coming out of a depression, it can be particularly hard to tell, because everything feels so so much better than being depressed.

I would look at the criteria. And pay special attention to how many symptoms must be present in total, and how persistent they must be. When I say persistent, I mean not up-down-up-down, but a persistent experience of depression or a persistent experience of a set of hypomanic symptoms. I think it has to last for a minimum of several days in a row (except in rare cases), and you have to be able to tick off several symptoms that are experienced simultaneously.

I don't know whether you're hypo or not, but I would say just keep in mind that happy and even giddy are often just that. And enjoy it!

For me, the great mood would turn into feeling so up and energized I'd start feeling impatient and irritable with things. That could sometimes go into feeling very angry, on into rage issues.

Hypomania looks different in different people. For me I'm hypomanic when I start waking up earlier and working every second I'm awake. I come up with and take on projects I can't handle, particularly extra homework. My self-confidence is unshakable. I talk super fast (so much so that others comment). I can't relax at all. I start going out to bars and drinking a lot. I need pleasure at any cost (and the bars I go to aren't cheap).

Sleep, sleep, sleep...ahhh who needs it? Not me.
That's my first sign of hypomania.

Also, food tastes amazing

I think it takes some time to figure out what your baseline is, especially if you've been depressed for a long time. For me I know it's getting out of hand when my thoughts start feeling kind like static and I start feeling sort of grandiose. With time you'll learn what your symptoms are.

Hey. I have this same exact query right now. What is my normal anyway?
When I feel depressed I pretty much stop doing all but those things I absolutely must do, so chaos and messes and undone chores surround me.

These last few days I have had a burst of motivation and have caught up on all these forgotten tasks- I cleaned, vacuumed the house, cleaned out the fridge, went food shopping, have been cooking, cleaned out closets and donated old clothes, did 8 loads of laundry, and actually worked out at the gym yesterday.

Compared with my low level depressed life of waking up, working, and sitting on the couch- this would seem to be a dramatic shift in energy and motivation and activity. But I am sleeping great. Like 10 hours a night (I'm off of work now), and I am dreaming a lot or at least remembering my dreams. I feel positive but not over confident. I feel really good, but not THE BEST EVER. So I don't think this is hypomania I am experiencIng, it's just feeling really fcking good. I hope that is the case for you too, but I can't really say.

Since hypomania does not normally become full fledged mania in bp 2, I don't think it's quite as dire. Watch your sleep, try to pause before blurting stuff out, and lock up your credit cards. Contact T or pdoc if u feel uncomfortable. Then just enjoy not feeling depressed for a while. Sorry if I am rambling here- using my phone to type this.
I hope your upswing is just a really good mood that lasts a while. Either way, take care.