Identifying how mania shows up in your daily life can help you spot early warning signs before a full mood shift takes hold.
A diagnosis of bipolar disorder involves mood episodes that vary in intensity and character. Bipolar 1 is defined by at least one manic episode, which can include severe symptoms and sometimes psychosis. Bipolar 2, by comparison, never features full-blown mania but is diagnosed by hypomanic episodes along with major depression.
People may experience mania or hypomania with different emotional qualities. Some describe euphoric states as joyous, creative, amazing, wonderful, sexy, brilliant, and positive. In direct contrast, dysphoric mania is described as negative, irritated, angry, destructive, and life-destroying.
Sometimes, these moods blend together in what are called mixed states — periods where symptoms of mania or hypomania and depression appear at the same time.
Hypomania and full-blown mania share many similar symptoms, but differ in their severity, the level of functional impairment they cause, and the presence of psychotic symptoms, which are unique to mania.
Mania is recognizable by an elevated mood and increased energy levels as well as expansive, grandiose thinking; irritability; an intense focus on goal-directed activities; and a combination of any of the following symptoms:
- Marked increase in self-esteem or self-regard (i.e., grandiosity)
- Racing thoughts (i.e., flights of ideas)
- Restlessness (e.g., increased activity levels, starting multiple projects)
- Increased impulsivity and high-risk, reckless behaviors (e.g., gambling, shopping sprees, promiscuity)
- Forced speech (i.e., becoming uncharacteristically talkative and social)
- An obvious reduced need for sleep (i.e., sleeping briefly or not at all) without being tired the next day.
You can recognize that all of these symptoms are within the human condition. It’s also important to note, albeit sometimes hard to accept, that even though euphoric mania feels better than dysphoric mania, both are symptoms of an illness and have to be managed in the same way.
Recognizing mania in yourself or a loved one is not always easy. This happens for a few reasons:
Mania is all about an increase in energy in everyday activities. Mania isn’t bizarre, so it can be hard to recognize it in yourself or a loved one.
Mania affects behavior and thinking, but manic symptoms are always related to regular life events. In many cases, the person in the manic episode will absolutely follow through on what they say they will do! For example, someone might say, “I’m going to get on a plane to Japan and become a model!” (Then it happens.)
RELATED: Recognizing the Clues: Tracking Bipolar Symptoms Like a Detective
Euphoric mania is often in contrast to depression, where there is usually less activity and, as a result, is seen as a positive. You may think, “Wow, I’ve been SO depressed, and I’m finally better! I’m cured!”
Dysphoric mania is often seen as an anger management problem and usually isn’t recognized as a bipolar mood swing.
For this reason, it’s essential to learn what manic symptoms look like in your own life. Missing the signs can affect relationships, work, school, money, and even physical safety. Textbook definitions only go so far — to truly make sense of mania, it helps to hear how it feels from the inside. Here are five lived experiences from bpHope bloggers, — including my own — that show how these symptoms can play out in real life:
1. Altered Perception
April Michael recognized changes in how she perceived the world around her during manic periods. She writes, “Seeing everything as more vivid and colorful than it may be in reality. In my manias, I am drawn to bright colors and shiny objects. … However, suppose you begin to experience vivid colors along with images that others can’t see, or you start distrusting people or believing something without any evidence. In that case, you may be entering psychosis, which can be very dangerous if left unchecked.”
2. Impatience
Carrie Cantwell recognized that impatience is an early red flag for an impending manic episode: “My lack of patience is probably the earliest (and best) indicator that I’m headed toward mania. But because it’s subtle, I have to recognize it if I want to prevent a catastrophe.”
As she notes, lack of insight can make it difficult to check mania in the midst of an episode, but by keeping an eye on her signs of impatience — such as interrupting people or skipping steps on a recipe card — she can take action to curtail or prevent a mood swing.
3. Feeling Distracted and Loss of Concentration
Cognitive difficulties and bipolar disorder go hand in hand, during depressive, hypomanic, and manic episodes and during times of mood stability. As Brooke Hilton observed, she experiences four physical signs of an impending manic mood swing, and one of them is increased difficulties with focus and — as a result — sleep disturbances.
She says, “Though I was constantly fatigued and had difficulty concentrating during the day at work, my imagination would run rampant at night, and I would get lost in creative project after creative project.”
4. Irritability, Anger, and Acting on Impulse
Among the more commonly recognized early-warning signs of a hypomanic or manic mood swing is increased irritability and outbursts of anger. Jon Press noted that his hypomania is often preceded by what he describes as “an internal sense of urgency.” For example, he once impulsively adopted six cats in a short period of time.
“I felt like I had to make an immediate decision.” And because he felt pressured, he says, “I was unable to consider that my decisions were shortsighted and selfish. It didn’t just affect me.”
5. Bipolar Mania in the Eyes
After much personal observation, I’ve noticed profound changes in my eyes during manic episodes. This observation led me to dedicate more than 20 years to researching the phenomenon of mania in the eyes with readers and clients. Through this extensive exploration, I identified three distinct signs of mania in the eyes.
- One notable sign is a more “sparkling” or “shimmering” quality in my eyes, which I associate with euphoric mania.
- Another sign is a darker eye color during these euphoric phases.
- Euphoric mania can produce a wider eye shape, while a narrowing eye shape can accompany dysphoric mania.
What are your mania symptoms? What manic symptoms do you notice in a loved one? Early recognition of mania symptoms allows the person with bipolar to get help at the beginning of a mood swing. When stability is the goal, recognizing the common signs of mania helps the person with bipolar stop a mood swing before it takes over a person’s life once again.nia helps the person with bipolar stop a mood swing before it takes over a person’s life once again.
additional reporting by Jade Zora Scibilia
UPDATED: Originally posted September 14, 2022