There is a symptom of mania that isn’t talked about very often- egotistical thoughts- the technical term is grandiose thoughts.
I remember when my former partner first started to get sick. He is such a mild mannered wonderful person who is always pretty low key. Before he went into the hospital, I found a paper where he had written, “I am a genius and I can’t tell anyone.”
I had no idea what this meant at the time. This didn’t fit his personality at all! And even though I’d had hypomania since I was 17, I couldn’t identify with the genius thing. As my bipolar has gotten worse, I do go into ‘I’m the greatest person in the world’ mode once in a while. I can laugh about it! I just have to make sure I write it all down on my Mania Health Card. And I never say the thoughts out loud. That would be a real problem.
I write about my experience with Ivan being sick in Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder. I can honestly say I wish I’d had that book when he got out of the hospital!
Spring is here in the US. You need a mania plan. And family members need to know what to do as well. Never forget, mania peaks in the summer!
Julie
PS: Hi Julie, I love this post. When my son gets manic, he is so self centered he won’t even let us talk. He acts like he knows EVERYTHING even physics and how Hollywood works and how to work on a car. It drives us all crazy! Bonnie
