Mania is devastating. Mania ruins relationships. Mania gets people fired. Mania gets you drunk,makes you gamble away your child’s college fund,gives you STDs,makes you so ‘creative’you can’t see that what you’re creating makes no sense. Mania…is…dangerous.
I talk about mania in these terms because I have been there,my former partner was there and in the hospital for two months and I work with families in my coaching business who are either dealing with a manic child who has left the family to ‘take a trip around the states to see what’s out there!’,has left a partner for greener pastures,is in jail,stopped their medications (this is often the reason for the mania),bought a $10,000 painting because it was so beauuuuuuutifuuuuuuuul!
I have seen and felt the destruction of mania.
I am here to tel you that mania starts small- it’s starts with small signs [ Read More ]
I just received the following question from Alixana on how a person can know if an exciting and endorphin producing event can cause mania. Here is the question and my long answer- I try to keep it short,but nothing with bipolar disorder is short!
Dear Julie,
Thank you for being so honest about your battle with bipolar disorder,and for chronicling your experiences so that other sufferers can learn from them.I stumbled upon your blog while googling for a link between endorphins and hypomania. So far,nothing I’ve read suggests that an endorphin rush can trigger off a hypomanic episode,but I’m worried that there might be a possible connection between the two.
To cut a long story short,I took up social dancing a few months ago –at least two studies have shown that it benefits patients with depression,so I thought it’d help with bipolar as well (I have Bipolar II). [ Read More ]
It’s hard to write about mania considering that I have been in a downswing for a week,but it’s a topic I have to continually address- I hear stories all summer about people who go off their meds because they feel so GREAT and then the disasters that follow. It’s easy to think –the sun is just so WONDERUFL!!!!!! when the weather gets nice,you’re off school,you have a vacation,the kids are home,etc.
There is no doubt that summer is wonderful if you were depressed in the winter- but this is just a friendly reminder that when things get WONDERFUL!!!!!,it’s time to check for mania. Here are some questions to ask yourself –or ask the person you care about.
1. Are you sleeping a lot less than what is considered the norm- but are still filled with energy the next day? The norm is six to eight hours- mania sleep [ Read More ]
Wow,I had a wild hypomanic episode a few months ago. I wrote about it at the time. If you go to the mania link to the right,you can read all about mania and my experiences. It’s a very,very dangerous mood swings as it feels good- absolutely no one wants to be depressed,but people who experience euphoric mania often welcome it and never want it to end. (Agitated mania is called dysphoric mania- it’s also explained on the mania link to the right.)
We really are moving into the mania season. Sunlight affects our sleep as we get more sun through the eyes – which affects the brain. So, yes- keeping out of the sun helps. But who wants to do that if they have been depressed?
This is a complicated illness- and we have to know [ Read More ]
I often wonder how to describe the difference between mania and depression.
Depression:Feel you are the only person in the world. Mania:Feel completely at one with the world. Depression:Living in the past Mania:Living completely in the moment- this is particularly true with euphoric mania Depression:Silence Mania:Chattering nonsense when it goes too far
I could go on and on! Things get really complicated when the moods are combined- this is known as a mixed episode or dysphoric mania. People with dysphoric mania have all of the energy of a person with euphoric mania,but it’s agitated,uncomfortable mentally and physically and often comes with psychosis.
I have had a few mixed episodes myself. Anti psychotic medications- including Zyprexa,Abilify,Risperdal and Serequel are often used for dysphoric mania along with the mood stabilizers Lithium,Depakote and Tegretol. I find that Lamictal helps me a lot,especially since I can’t [ Read More ]
You had a tough winter depression. Things are starting to look good and you think to yourself- “I’m finally feeling better! It’s so great to feel good again!” A stable mood doesn’t usually talk that way. Your skin looks better- your hair looks better- your eyes are clear and you have a lot more energy. You feel like doing things you did in the past when you were manic- such as getting up at 4AM because you think you’ve had plenty of sleep even though it has only been about five hours. You want to go out more.
I could go on and on here. If you have the Health Cards,now is the time to get out your mania card- and definitely read my mania Health Card as it shows the really subtle signs that mania is starting. People certainly do get manic in the winter- and there are many [ Read More ]
The health information contained herein is provided for general education purposes only. This site should not be seen as a substitute for an official diagnosis or for professional health care.
