By David Joel Miller, MS, Licensed Therapist & Licensed Counselor.

How is mania related to Manic Depressive Disorder?

Manic Episode or mania, as it is commonly known, is a mood episode, not a diagnosis. Mood episodes are used to decide which Mood Disorder a person has. For all practical purposes mania and its milder cousin hypomania are only associated with one of the forms of Bipolar Disorder.

Having an episode of mania or hypomania is the defining symptom that distinguishes Bipolar Disorders from Depressive Disorders. The connection is so strong that for a long time what we now know as Bipolar Disorder was known as Manic-Depressive Disorder. Changing the name has confused a lot of people. I still see clients who say they have been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and Manic Depressive Disorder. Sometimes they also tell me they have Depression.

Once you have Mania or Hypomania we forget the Major Depressive Disorder diagnosis and use the Bipolar label only.

A Manic Episode is marked by a period of time of at least a week, or less if you get so bad you end up in the hospital before the week is out, where you have a really high, expansive, or elevated mood. This is not just a little happy or full of energy but a way “off the hook” period of time. Mania is not a good time. A little may feel like fun in the beginning. People with Bipolar Disorder may like a little mania but full-fledged mania is frightening.

Typically people who are manic have grand schemes to do things. These ideas make sense to them but they sound impossible to most other people. This is not the person who thinks they can sail around the world or invent an internet program. There have always been visionaries who plan to do great things and don’t get appreciated. These are people who try to run for president, cure cancer, and beat the house in Vegas – all in one week.

They have a decreased need for sleep, sometimes getting by on three hours of sleep a night and they try to do everything until they crash. This looks like a person on Methamphetamine but they don’t need drugs to be like this. Most people who get only a few hours of sleep may be able to function, but they will be tired and drag all day until they can sleep again. The person with mania can go days on little or no sleep and they feel fine. But the longer they are manic the crazier they act and sound.

Fully manic people talk a lot, pressured speech, the sort that erupts rather than is said. This is not a normal conversation. They know what they are talking about by not many other people can follow them. Because their mind is racing they become angry and irritable when other people cannot keep up.

In full on mania they become very goal-oriented, taking on lots of projects, rushing to do many things, but not always finishing anything. They have difficulty staying on one project, jump from task to task, and sometimes get stuck on something that to others looks meaningless or insignificant.

Since they know what they have in mind they think of themselves as brilliant and important, they become full of self-importance until the manic episode ends at which point they may become depressed and regret all they have done or said. This differs from narcissism in that the episodes of grandiosity go away leaving them ashamed or embarrassed.

A common characteristic of a manic episode is getting over-involved in things that are pleasurable. They may gamble, do drugs, or drink to excess. There is a huge overlap between alcoholism and manic or hypomanic episodes. During manic episodes, they may have excessive, unsatisfiable urges for sex and engage in sex with partners they don’t know.

Someone who is experiencing a manic episode may become so impaired that they have hallucinations. These hallucinations will go away when the mania ends, unlike psychotic hallucinations that are more long-term. It is also possible to have a “mixed episode” where the person is both manic and depressed at the same time.

If someone has these kinds of symptoms we reserve judgment as long as they are able to work, have friends, and are not upset about the episode. If it starts to affect functioning then the diagnosis is given. If someone is doing drugs or has a medical problem that is causing these symptoms then we don’t think that is mania and recommend they stop the drugs or get the medical problem treated.

If you have ever had a Manic Episode I would recommend you talk with a doctor, psychiatrist, or other mental health professional. Treated early you still can have a productive life. The longer you wait to go for treatment the more the risks that while manic you will do something you can’t take back and the mania will likely get worse each time you have an episode.

Staying connected with David Joel Miller

Seven David Joel Miller Books are available now!

My newest book is now available. It was my opportunity to try on a new genre. I’ve been working on this book for several years, but now seem like the right time to publish it.

Story Bureau.

Story Bureau is a thrilling Dystopian Post-Apocalyptic adventure in the Surviving the Apocalypse series.

Baldwin struggles to survive life in a post-apocalyptic world where the government controls everything.

As society collapses and his family gets plunged into poverty, Baldwin takes a job in the capital city, working for a government agency called the Story Bureau. He discovers the Story Bureau is not a benign news outlet but a sinister government plot to manipulate society.

Bumps on the Road of Life. Whether you struggle with anxiety, depression, low motivation, or addiction, you can recover. Bumps on the Road of Life is the story of how people get off track and how to get your life out of the ditch.

Dark Family Secrets: Doris wants to get her life back, but small-town prejudice could shatter her dreams.

Casino Robbery Arthur Mitchell escapes the trauma of watching his girlfriend die. But the killers know he’s a witness and want him dead.

Planned Accidents  The second Arthur Mitchell and Plutus mystery.

Letters from the Dead: The third in the Arthur Mitchell mystery series.

What would you do if you found a letter to a detective describing a crime and you knew the writer and detective were dead, and you could be next?

Sasquatch. Three things about us, you should know. One, we have seen the past. Two, we’re trapped there. Three, I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to our own time.

For these and my upcoming books; please visit my Author Page – David Joel Miller

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