Difference between Mania and Hypomania?

[4givenme]

Could some people please share with me their experience with the difference between mania and hypomania.

 

[Jeshu]

Hypomania is like mania but less destructive- severe. Often when one suffers from hypomania then work, homeduties etc can just continue while with mania these things become impossible to continue.

 

[goldenviolet]

hy·po·ma·ni·a
A mild state of mania, especially as a phase of a manic-depressive cycle.

ma·ni·a

1. An excessively intense enthusiasm, interest, or desire; a craze: [SIZE=+0]a mania for neatness.[/SIZE]
2. Psychiatry A manifestation of bipolar disorder, characterized by profuse and rapidly changing ideas, exaggerated sexuality, gaiety, or irritability, and decreased sleep.
3. Violent abnormal behavior. See Synonyms at insanity.

in·san·i·ty

1. Persistent mental disorder or derangement. No longer in scientific use.
2. Law <LI type=a>Unsoundness of mind sufficient in the judgment of a civil court to render a person unfit to maintain a contractual or other legal relationship or to warrant commitment to a mental health facility.
3. In most criminal jurisdictions, a degree of mental malfunctioning sufficient to relieve the accused of legal responsibility for the act committed.

1. <LI type=a>Extreme foolishness; folly.
2. Something that is extremely foolish.

 

[lemonflavor]

gaiety

Is this definition from the 1890s? I thought that was pretty funny.

Maybe it's just my hypomania which started an hour ago. I wish I could control that switch.

 

[Shalia]

Hypomania never requires hospitalization. (That's straight out of the DSM IV.) It usually doesn't become bad enough to seriously impact the ability to work or function. There's no psychosis or break with reality at any point. All the same symptoms of mania, just the severity is less.

If you ever lose touch with reality or require hospitalization you are instantly considered manic. (And your spiffy label will change and they'll call you BP1 instead of BP2. )

 

[Alive again]

Interesting Sahlia, guess the dmsv-IV doesn't know everything. i have bp2 including hypomanias, but have been unable to work for over 10 years due to the overwhelming depression and the anger that shows up with my hypomanias. My son and father are the same way (although my son can hold down a job for 3-6months until he gets fired) My Dad worked until he was 50, i worked (as an ICU/Hospice RN for 15 years)

So my hypomanias, although prob not the only form of hypomanis out there, consists of overwhelming, difficult or uncontrollable emotions. The one I have most difficulty controlling is the anger, and I have been extremely angry over the dumbest things like butter left on the knife. After the anger which can last only a few minutes, I switch into a very deep suicidal depression from the shame of behaving that way.
I am also irritable esp to certain noises or behaviors. It is like all my nerves are on fire sometimes and I just feel like I need to scream and pull all my hair out at the same time. I have far more depression and these manias developed slowly over the years, starting with days of just feeling better.

Manias frequency varies greatly between people, and can vary to some degree from person to person. I do not get racing thoughts of any sort, but I do feel like I can do things (mild grandiosity). My son gets the racing thoughts and speech with his hypomanias as well as the anger. My father also had the angry episodes, but I did not know he was bp2 until after his death. The shame he felt only allowed him to admit to the depression late in his life.

My diagnosis of bp was missed for several years as we did not know the truth about my Dad's illness, and all the tests, videos, pt information handouts we were given talked only of the symptoms of full blown manias. I can still take those tests today and be told I am not bp.

Bp2 can be hard to pick up because the hypomanias may not be too far outside of "normal societal" behaviors. My son's early manias were mostly being just a little bit to "silly". And believe me, after allk the difficult depressed days, we were happy to see him smile and didn't think of the silliness as a symptom.

Well, my brain is not totally awake yet this am, but I wanted to put my 2 cents worth in.

Hope it helps,

Blessings,alive

 

[Shalia]

Then, if someone was being particularly "clinical" about it, they'd likely either classify you AS BP1 because your manias have caused *severe* problems and interference in your life, OR, they'd call you BPNOS <not otherwise specified> because you don't fall into the pretty little checkboxes that psychiatrists like to make in order to pretend that we are all alike.

Grand scheme of things, who really cares?

They are currently updating the DSM though, and one of the things they are changing/adding is that BP2's can have mixed episodes. Currently, according to the DSM, if you have mixed episodes you are also instantly a BP1. That's stupid. There's no reason you can't be hypomanic/depressed at the same time, you are an example of that. But according to the trusty psychoidiots that wrote the manual <I'll bet you none of them actually HAVE bipolar either> BP2's can't be mixed.

Hopefully the update to the manual is better.

 

[princess197113]

Also, when you are hypomanic you are dx'ed as myself, bipolar 2 not one. You more than likely will not have a psychotic break.

 

[youthwalk]

Is it possible to be more manic than hypomanic yet not quite "manic"? Bear with me...

 

[Shalia]

Is it possible to be more manic than hypomanic yet not quite "manic"? Bear with me...

Theoretically, no. Well, textbook, no. Real life? Anyone who's actually made the leap from hypomanic to manic? We'll say yes in a heartbeat. Or at least I would. But I think considering spectrum disorders using textbook definitions is stupid.

 

[youthwalk]

I agree with that.