My hypo manic mood swing….

I wrote the following in 2007. Nothing has really changed in terms of what bipolar disorder does- but I can say that I still use  my treatment plan and I haven’t made any manic mistakes in a long time!

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It was just lovely. I remember driving down the road to my house thinking. Is this what normal feels like? This is so wonderful. I’ve been doing so well lately! Maybe this is the real me!

And right then I knew I was manic. It was a huge disappointment. I had been having so much fun. I wasn’t covered in the depression fog when I went out. I didn’t eat junk food and I could talk to anyone.

I can’t believe how it snuck up on me. I haven’t had a winter manic episode in a very long time.

My family and friends noticed it first. They all know how to use my Health Cards [ Read More ]

The BipolarHappens.com Newsletter: Can Energy Drinks Lead to Mania?

 I’ve written many books on bipolar disorder and they all discuss mania extensively- but they don’t discuss energy drinks and how they might affect mania. The reason is that the explosion of these drinks on the market is so new that it wasn’t even a topic of concern a few years ago.  

How did so many products get on the market so quickly? I think it was the success of Red Bull and it moved on from there.  I have to ask: Are we really that tired?  Or do we just like feeling buzzed?  Who knows.  But I do know it’s a potential problem.

Can these energy drinks lead to mania or exacerbate mania? 

Yes.  

But it might not be in the way you think.

It’s not that the energy drinks are bad for you because they directly cause mania. They don’t.  They are not like drugs that [ Read More ]

What is Bipolar Mania?

Mania is an abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive or irritable mood. In the elevated state, the mood is upbeat, euphoric, and happy. In an expansive state, the mood is intense, and emotions are shown with no inhibition. Although many people think that euphoria and expansive moods are the main characteristics of mania, many people in a manic episode experience irritability, anxiety or an uncomfortable sense of increased energy.

Mania is a very dangerous, difficult to spot and often very difficult to treat mood swing once it goes too far.

There are two types of mania in bipolar disorder: full blown mania and hypomania. Full blown mania is a requirement of a bipolar I diagnosis. Hypomania ( milder form of full blown mania with similar symptoms, but with much less intensity) is a milder form of mania that is a requirement for a bipolar II diagnosis. This is one of the main reasons it’s so important [ Read More ]

What Does Mania Feel Like?

Buzzes like a beautiful bumble be on a lovely flower in the summer.

The colors are so beautiful you want to take a picture of everything.

Your desire to be social goes through the roof.

People look so interesting and it’s very easy to say hi and start a conversation.

Sexual thoughts increase and you often act on them.

You want to buy nice clothes, or a car or a new dishwashe.

It feels like a good idea to buy all new furniture for your room.

It’s easy to clean your house.

You blow off work to [ Read More ]

7 Ways You Can Help if I’m Having a Euphoric Bipolar Mania Episode

The Health Cards Help Prevent and Manage Mania

Help Your  Friends and Family Help You Manage Bipolar Mania

Here are just a few of the tips included in the Mania Section in my Health Cards Treatment System.  The cards create a list of all of my mania symptoms and what the people who care about me can do when they see that I’m starting to get manic.  It’s my responsibility to tell the people around me how they can help. It’s not innate for them! 

1- Know the signs and symptoms of what you see when I start to get manic.

2- Remind me that I wanted you to tell me if I seem to be too excited.

3- Do not match my behavior. In other words, if I say let’s go drink some hard cider and it’s 3PM, it’s a [ Read More ]

My friend Karyn explains euphoric bipolar mania!

Hi Julie,

You asked me to explain my view on your euphoric mania. It was good for me to write it down. I can see how much more I understand than we first met almost six years ago!

I’ve always thought of mania as a “Euphoric” high, the feeling that we all have at times that is exacerbated with someone with bipolar disorder. You tell me you feel like you can do no wrong, you feel great, you can’t believe you’ve ever been depressed. You can spend money, make big decisions, all with this state of mind. I compare it to making decisions with a depressed mind, you don’t want to do that either.

It’s like two ends of a spectrum and they were really hard for me to get clear on at first.

It may feel great to be on a manic high, but it seems uncontrollable to me. You make  decisions that are [ Read More ]

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