Whats The Difference Between Feeling Good Vs Hypomania
It takes time to know the difference. Everyone enjoys being happy and feeling good. But feeling good doesnt always mean you are good. Over time, youll start to understand yourself and learn the warning signs that you may be starting to have an elevated mood that is different than just feeling good.
Ask family and close friends who you trust, and have frequent contact with, to give you feedback. Ask them to tell you when they see beyond normal changes in your mood or behaviors.
Getting Diagnosed And Getting Treated
While bipolar disorder is generally a life-long illness, treatment helps most people manage their symptoms. You may still have lingering symptoms and relapses, but you can enjoy a good and productive life. Because there is no blood test or brain scan that can diagnose bipolar disorder, you need to let your doctor know if you have any of the symptoms. You may be at increased risk of bipolar disorder if you have a family history of the disease.
Symptoms to report include:
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Periods of depression when you may be very tired, have no energy, be unable to think straight, feel helpless, or have thoughts of death or suicide
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Periods of mania when you may not need sleep, talk very fast, be very restless, have unrealistic ideas, and engage in reckless behaviors
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Periods of mania or depression that last for at least seven days
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Periods of mania or depression that are a major change from your normal behavior, most likely affecting your work and social life
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Shifting back and forth between periods of feeling low, sad and helpless and feeling high, unstoppable and energetic
Fighting Back And Winning
I remained severely depressed for a year. It was like trying to crawl naked across a street littered with broken glass! My medication-management psychiatrist and I tried several medications during this period. I became increasingly discouraged with each new attempt. Some of the so-called wonder drugs did nothing for me but produce adverse side effects. Weight gain, excessive sleepiness, an uncomfortable wired feeling, insomnia, and hypervigilant paranoia were some of the awful side effects that I experienced. At the time, I had literally tried 98 percent of them. My health insurance refused to cover the remaining 2 percent.
I still suffer periodic bouts of depression, but I refuse to give up hope. I know, both intellectually and emotionally, that they are temporary. My experience with bipolar depression, that huge, schoolyard bully, has taught me a few things. As long as I take hold of and maintain a positive mindset dont isolate myself from family and friends have my medication adjusted if needed have a spiritual connection meditate have fun and continue to fight, I am winning. Regardless of the outcome of my efforts, I am victorious.
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Most Common Triggers For Bipolar Mood Episodes
Spats with your sweetheart, chilly weather, grief a number of scenarios may provoke bipolar mania or depression.
Bipolar disorder is characterized by symptoms including unusual shifts in mood and energy. These mood shifts or episodes last at least a week in the case of mania, and at least two weeks in the case of depression, according to psychiatrist Jeffrey Bennett, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield.
There are several types of bipolar and related disorders. In order to be diagnosed with bipolar I, you must have had at least one manic episode that may have been preceded or followed by hypomanic or depressive episodes. In the case of bipolar II, you must have had at least one major depressive episode and at least one hypomanic episode, but never experienced a manic episode.
Both mania and hypomania share the same symptoms, which include feeling unusually upbeat, euphoric, or irritable, with increased energy, mood elevation, a decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts, trouble concentrating, and poor judgment. In cases of mania, these symptoms are severe enough to be causing significant problems in your day-to-day life.
For example, you might be unable to go to work or school, or you may be compulsively spending money. Hypomania is considered a less severe form of mania. In cases of hypomania, your daily functioning isn’t significantly impacted. For example, you are able to work and socialize.
How Is Hypomania Diagnosed
Your healthcare provider will ask about your medical history, family medical history, current prescriptions and non-prescription medications and any herbal products or supplements you take. Your provider may order blood tests and body scans to rule out other conditions that may mimic mania. One such condition is hyperthyroidism. If other diseases and conditions are ruled out, your provider may refer you to a mental health specialist
To be diagnosed with hypomania, your mental health specialist may follow the criteria of the American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-5. Their criteria for manic episode is:
- You have an abnormal, long-lasting elevated expression of emotion along with a high degree of energy and activity that lasts for at least four consecutive days and is present most of the day, nearly every day.
- You have three or more symptoms to a degree that theyre a noticeable change from your usual behavior .
- The hypomanic episode is not severe enough to significantly interfere with your social, work or school functioning and theres no need for hospitalization.
- The hypomanic episode cant be caused by the effects of a substance or another medical condition.
If you have hypomania, you dont have thoughts that are out of step with reality you dont have false beliefs or false perceptions . If you do have these symptoms of psychosis, your diagnosis is mania.
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What Is Mixed Bipolar
What Are Mixed Episodes in Bipolar Disorder? Mixed features refers to the presence of high and low symptoms occurring at the same time, or as part of a single episode, in people experiencing an episode of mania or depression. In most forms of bipolar disorder, moods alternate between elevated and depressed over time.
What Outcome Can I Expect If Ive Been Diagnosed With Hypomania
If youve been diagnosed with hypomania, you can have a favorable outcome if you learn about your condition, learn to recognize when youre having a hypomanic episode and engage in coping strategies to lessen the severity or prevent events. Always take any prescribed medications as directed by your healthcare provider.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Being amped up about your life and being in a good mood is usually thought to be a good thing. It can be if thats how you normally are most of the time. This is what makes hypomania a little tricky to diagnose. Key to a diagnosis of hypomania is that your elevated mood, behavior or activity level must last at least four days and must rise to the level thats beyond normal and is noticeable by others. Know that a team of healthcare professionals your primary care provider, psychologists and/or psychiatrist is ready to help you figure this out.
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Rapid Cycling In Bipolar Disease
The phrase rapid cycling refers to four or more cycles in a 12-month period. However, while having four or more cycles in a one-year period means meeting the criteria for a diagnosis of rapid-cycling bipolar illness, rapid cycling is not necessarily a permanent pattern. Rather, rapid cycling can present at any point in the course of the disease. And it can be transient.
While about 2.5% of Americans have bipolar disorder, only about 10% to 20% of those will develop rapid cycling.
Rapid cycling may be more likely to affect those who were young when symptoms first appeared, those who have had bipolar disorder for a longer time, and those who misuse alcohol and other substances.
In addition, the term “ultra-rapid cycling” may be applied to those who cycle through episodes within a month or less. If this pattern occurs within a 24-hour period, the person’s diagnosis could possibly be termed “ultra-ultra-rapid cycling” or “ultradian.” It is often difficult to tell ultradian cycling from a mixed episode.
What Are Your Treatment Options
Treatment will depend on which type of bipolar disorder you have, and what your symptoms are. Most of the time, youll need medication to manage your symptoms, along with therapy. Medications that may be used include:
Antidepressants Antipsychotics Mood stabilizers Anti-anxiety medications
Sometimes traditional medication therapy isnt enough. At Boston MindCare, our doctors offer a unique treatment option when nothing else has worked. Ketamine infusion therapy can help the symptoms of depressive episodes associated with bipolar disorder. It works by inhibiting glutamate in your brain to stabilize your mood.
Like many of the other medications used to treat this disorder, ketamine comes with some side effects, so its important to talk to our doctors to see if this treatment is right for you.
You dont need to deal with bipolar disorder on your own. If youre looking for help, call our office at 701-207-9841 or book an appointment online today.
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Can My Diagnosis Change Between Bipolar Ii Disorder And Bipolar I Disorder
Yes. If you have been diagnosed with the less severe condition of hypomania and have even a single episode of mania , your diagnosis will change to bipolar I disorder. Once you have a diagnosis of bipolar I disorder even if you never have another manic episode your diagnosis can never be changed back to bipolar II disorder. Youll always have a bipolar I disorder diagnosis.
What Is The Treatment For Mania Hypomania And Depression
You can check what treatment and care is recommended for bipolar disorders on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence website.
NICE produce guidelines for how health professionals should treat certain conditions. You can download these from their website at:
The NHS doesnt have to follow these recommendations. But they should have a good reason for not following them.
What medications are recommended?
Mood stabilisers are usually used to manage mania, hypomania and depressive symptoms.
The mood stabilisers we talk about in this factsheet are:
- Lithium
- Certain benzodiazepine medication
Mania and hypomaniaYou should be offered a mood stabiliser to help manage your mania or hypomania. Your doctor may refer to your medication as antimanic medication.
If you are taking antidepressants your doctor may advise you to withdraw from taking them.
You will usually be offered an antipsychotic first. The common antipsychotics used for the treatment of bipolar disorder are:
- Haloperidol
- Quetiapine
- Risperidone
If the first antipsychotic you are given doesnt work, then you should be offered a different antipsychotic medication from the list above.
If a different antipsychotic doesnt work, then you may be offered lithium to take alongside it. If the lithium doesnt work you may be offered sodium valproate to take with an antipsychotic. Sodium valproate is an anticonvulsive medication.
Sodium Valproate shouldnt be given to girls or young women who might want to get pregnant.
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Bipolar Disorder Causes Mood Episodes
Bipolar disorder, which was previously called manic depression, is a mood disorder that causes , lasting a couple of weeks or longer, of depression or mania, and sometimes psychosis. This is a mood disorder because it causes changes in mood that are not healthy and that can disrupt a persons life significantly. It causes abnormal patterns of thinking, behavior, and thoughts and moods that do not align with someones reality.
For instance, a person with bipolar disorder may have a great life with a loving family and a nice job, but during a depressive episode cannot shake the feeling that he or she is worthless. These abnormal moods usually shift between depression and mania, the latter being the opposite of depression but just as destructive and unhealthy. In severe instances, some people will also go through episodes of psychosis in which they lose touch with reality and may hallucinate or have disturbing delusions. These mood episodes can be very damaging, but they are fortunately manageable with appropriate treatment.
Mania Treatment And Recovery
Typically, acute mania treatment is part of a broader bipolar disorder treatment. The initial focus is usually placed on the more short-term mania recovery so that the person suffering from the manic episode can resume normal activities. Mania management may involve hospitalization and therapy with a psychiatrist. Long-term treatment to address the symptoms of bipolar disorder typically involves continued therapy and medications, such as lithium, anticonvulsants and antipsychotics. While this may be the typical course of treatment for many people, each persons situation is unique, and someone with specific questions should seek the advice of a doctor.
If you or a loved one live with the symptoms of mania and addiction, consider reaching out to The Recovery Village. for more information.
If youre experiencing symptoms of bipolar disorder, such as mania, the Nobu app is a great tool to to add to your treatment plan. It is free and for anyone that is looking to reduce anxiety, work through depression, build self-esteem, get aftercare following treatment, attend teletherapy sessions and so much more. Download the Nobu app today!
- Sources
Vieta, Eduard. Acute and Long-Term Treatment of Mania. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, June 2008. Accessed May 11, 2019.
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Taking Hold Of Your Bipolar Disorder
One of the most important steps in dealing with bipolar disorder is to become educated on the condition. Its also important to learn as much as you can about your specific type of bipolar disorder. The more knowledgeable you are, the more confident youll feel about living with bipolar disorder and gaining better control over your life.
Pay attention to the things that trigger episodes. Identifying signs that an episode is coming on can help. Include the people close to you in this process. They can offer support. They can also alert you to possible triggers or behavior changes. These may indicate that an episode is starting. When you can recognize that an episode is developing, you can intervene. Use strategies that youve learned in therapy.
You should also try to follow a healthy lifestyle that includes:
- sufficient sleep of at least seven hours a night
- daily exercise
How Long Does Drug
Drug-induced psychosis is usually the result of the chronic use of a substance that is harmful to your brain. The psychotic events are usually associated with drug use, either during or immediately after use . In rare cases, psychosis can occur even after the drug is out of a persons system. The duration of psychosis varies depending on the specific drug used:
A substance use disorder can also co-occur in someone who has a psychotic disorder. In most cases, substance use will make the psychotic disorder worse and a person may experience more severe symptoms of psychosis while under the influence of various substances.
Related Topic:How long does depression last?
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What Should I Do While Im Waiting To Come Down
If youre currently experiencing a manic episode, there are a few things you can do.
- Reach out to your treatment team. Your doctor, psychiatrist, or therapist can help you navigate your episode. They may recommend that you start or change medication.
- Avoid mind-altering substances like alcohol or recreational drugs. Becoming intoxicated can worsen your manic episode or interfere with your medication management.
- Get plenty of sleep. It might be hard to sleep during a manic episode, but try to go to bed and wake up at a regular time. You might find that certain sleep hygiene practices help.
- Eat according to a regular schedule. Hunger can destabilize your mood. Reduce your consumption of caffeine and sugary foods, as these can also affect your mood.
- Spend time with others. If you attend a support group, this might be helpful. Spending time with people close to you and your condition can help you feel more validated and less isolated.
- Stay consistent with meds. No matter whether youre experiencing a manic episode or not, its important to consistently take medication thats been prescribed to you according to your doctors directions. Setting a reminder on your phone might help you during episodes.
The Dangers Of Untreated Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a serious mental health problem that affects about 2.3 million Americans, more than one percent of the population. The main reason many people with bipolar disorder are not being treated is because it’s hard to diagnose. But even after diagnosis, treatment may be difficult. Some people who are diagnosed stop their treatment because they decide they dont need it anymore, or because medication side effects are too distressing.
All of this adds up to many people with bipolar disorder who are not getting the treatment they needand who risk serious health consequences.
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Symptoms That Lead To A Diagnosis
If youre suffering from any kind of mental health disorder, its important that you identify and understand your symptoms in order for our doctors to correctly diagnose you. Bipolar disorder consists of both manic and depressive episodes that create an unstable mood.
Mania can be extreme changes in mood, or you can have hypomania which is typically less severe. Symptoms of mania include:
Difficulty sleeping Extreme energy Increased self-esteem Difficulty concentrating Racing thoughts
On the opposite end of the spectrum, depression can change your emotional highs to hopeless lows. If you have bipolar disorder with depression, symptoms you may experience include:
Fatigue Sadness Decreased energy Overeating or loss of appetite Suicidal thoughts
Our team at Boston MindCare take a detailed history to decipher your symptoms and give you a definitive diagnosis. With that, we can also form a customized treatment plan for you.