Anybody hypomanic?

Heineken Helen

I was just wiki'ing Seasonal Affective Disorder and I came across a link to hypomania... and a lot of it seems to describe me :eek:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypomania

In the hypomanic state, people may feel like they can't slow their mind down, and that all these speeding thoughts are amazingly perfectly crafted. Some examples are speaking or writing in rhyme or alliteration without planning it first; quick responses to people talking; or the ability to improvise easily on the spot. In more severe cases, hypomanic people may actually hear constant music in their head, or see images in their mind racing by.[citation needed]

Another type of behavioral response sometimes included as a symptom is emotional flattening or blunted affect. A person may seem unusually cold, uncaring, or arrogant, showing little or no emotional responsiveness.[citation needed]

The less severe form of high in bipolar disorder is hypomania. People with this form have increased energy and tend to become more active than usual. They do not, however, have delusions or hallucinations. They do not lose touch with reality in the sense that they know who they are and what is real. What can be a problem, however, is that they tend to overestimate their capabilities and fail to see the obvious risks involved in their ventures. For example, if they are in business, they may suddenly decide to expand in a way that is not really practical or set up schemes for which they are ill prepared. Other forms of less inhibited behavior include reckless driving, gambling, spending sprees and sexual adventures. They may also have lots of new ideas but do not follow them through. They are often very jolly to be with but can quickly become very impatient or unpleasant if they cannot get what they want.

People with hypomania are generally perceived as being energetic, euphoric, overflowing with new ideas, and sometimes highly confident and charismatic, and unlike full-blown mania, they are sufficiently capable of coherent thought and action to participate in everyday activities. A person in the state of hypomania might be immune to fear and doubt and have little social inhibition. They may talk to strangers easily, offer solutions to problems, and find pleasure in small activities

lower need for sleep
racing thoughts
obsessive behavior, whether mild or severe
poor judgment relative to a particular situation's judgment call
uncontrollable, or only partially controllable, impulsivity
excessive sexual activity
Plus other out-of-character behaviors that the person may regret following the conclusion of the mood episode.

I'm generally not one for internet self diagnosis or for even believing in some 'mental disorders' but a lot of this seems to hit the nail on the head for me

Anybody have it?

Jeanie

Heineken Helen wrote:

I was just wiki'ing Seasonal Affective Disorder and I came across a link to hypomania... and a lot of it seems to describe me :eek:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypomania



I'm generally not one for internet self diagnosis or for even believing in some 'mental disorders' but a lot of this seems to hit the nail on the head for me

Anybody have it?

No, I don't think that covers it for me Hels, but how come you were looking up Seasonal Affective Disorder because I've been treated for that.

Heineken Helen

Jeanie wrote:

No, I don't think that covers it for me Hels, but how come you were looking up Seasonal Affective Disorder because I've been treated for that.

cos I feel like I have SAD today... but I don't think one day of being severely pissed off at the weather constitutes a disorder but there were more than a few things in the hypomanic thing that I thought 'that's a disorder? But I have that'

Jeanie

Heineken Helen wrote:

cos I feel like I have SAD today... but I don't think one day of being severely pissed off at the weather constitutes a disorder but there were more than a few things in the hypomanic thing that I thought 'that's a disorder? But I have that'

Fair enough. Well when it comes to SADs I've had a lot of success with LED lamp treatment along with taking a Vitamin D suppliment.

As to the hypomanic, well I do get hypo but not they way they've described it there and I know why, so yeah, not sure I qualify for that one.

Heineken Helen

Jeanie wrote:

Fair enough. Well when it comes to SADs I've had a lot of success with LED lamp treatment along with taking a Vitamin D suppliment.

As to the hypomanic, well I do get hypo but not they way they've described it there and I know why, so yeah, not sure I qualify for that one.

Yeh, I think I need to start taking vitamin D. My body is quite good at telling me what it needs (even better at telling me what it wants ) so I'm gonna listen to it this time.

FinsburyParkCarrots

Hypochondriac, more likely.

Heineken Helen

FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:

Hypochondriac, more likely.

I'm always slagging my sister about self diagnosis from websites.

Like I said, I tend to not really believe in 'mental disorders' anyway. I think most people would tend to fall under some kinda disorder.

Jeanie

Heineken Helen wrote:

Yeh, I think I need to start taking vitamin D. My body is quite good at telling me what it needs (even better at telling me what it wants ) so I'm gonna listen to it this time.

I've found them really beneficial. They make a huge difference to my general well being in the Winter time when sun is scarce around here.

You know the other? The mania, well have you had your blood sugar checked recently? Because swinging sugar levels could have a similar effect sometimes.

TrixieCat

What they are describing is bi-polar.
And whether or not you believe in it, it is very real.

Heineken Helen

Jeanie wrote:

I've found them really beneficial. They make a huge difference to my general well being in the Winter time when sun is scarce around here.

You know the other? The mania, well have you had your blood sugar checked recently? Because swinging sugar levels could have a similar effect sometimes.

Haven't been to the doctor since I came off the pill... and that was the only reason I ever went before

Heineken Helen

TrixieCat wrote:

What they are describing is bi-polar.
And whether or not you believe in it, it is very real.

Well according to the site this is much milder and CAN LEAD to bi-polar. I do believe in bi-polar but I also believe that some people are just... more expressive or emotional than others... and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

catefrances

TrixieCat wrote:

What they are describing is bi-polar.
And whether or not you believe in it, it is very real.

bi polar encompasses a range of symptoms. some like mine can be described as cyclothymic. i dont have the manic highs of bi polar. but the lows.... honestly i'm in the middle of one now and doing the best i can to deal. its not desperately dire but it sucks and ive come close to some things id rather not know about. i know i can go lower and that is no consolation. i reach out and no one takes my hand and for me that is the worst thing. it is made worse by the fact that im misanthropic. seasons dont even play a part in my moodswings. i hate the way i feel and there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

eyedclaar

TrixieCat wrote:

What they are describing is bi-polar.
And whether or not you believe in it, it is very real.

Yeah, sounds like bi-polar to me as well and I should know as I have it in spades. I am the bi-polar bear. Or maybe Homer said it best:

I can't live the button-down life like you. I want it all! The terrifying lows, the dizzying highs, the creamy middles! Sure, I might offend a few of the blue-noses with my cocky stride and musty odors -- oh, I'll never be the darling of the so-called "City Fathers" who cluck their tongues, stroke their beards, and talk about "What's to be done with this Homer Simpson?"

dunkman

TrixieCat wrote:

What they are describing is bi-polar.
And whether or not you believe in it, it is very real.

i don't believe in it

yes you do

no i don't

wait!! thats schizophrenia you're talking about

who said that?

i dunno.... just burn stuff

TrixieCat

Heineken Helen wrote:

Well according to the site this is much milder and CAN LEAD to bi-polar. I do believe in bi-polar but I also believe that some people are just... more expressive or emotional than others... and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

I agree with more expressive or emotional. I am sorry...I skimmed Didn't read that it said it could lead to bi-polar.
I wasn't aware that you could develop bi-polar.
One thing that most people with true bi-polar experience is they LOVE the high..the manic state. This is one reason why people will go unmedicated because they don't want to lose that. But the other side of the coin, the depressive state, is just as severe and can destroy a person's sense of life.
Just as the manic state can severely damage their life.
Understanding each state is a good way to manage it...at least you are aware of it.

Heineken Helen

catefrances wrote:

bi polar encompasses a range of symptoms. some like mine can be described as cyclothymic. i dont have the manic highs of bi polar. but the lows.... honestly i'm in the middle of one now and doing the best i can to deal. its not desperately dire but it sucks and ive come close to some things id rather not know about. i know i can go lower and that is no consolation. i reach out and no one takes my hand and for me that is the worst thing. it is made worse by the fact that im misanthropic. seasons dont even play a part in my moodswings. i hate the way i feel and there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

Cate :(

Swan

Jim Morrison was probably hypomanic.

Jeanie

Heineken Helen wrote:

Haven't been to the doctor since I came off the pill... and that was the only reason I ever went before

You'd better not tell me you're overdue for your pap smear girlie or I will hound your arse! You should be getting an annual check up at least. You don't have to be in there every other week, but you do need to take care of your health and preventative medicine is far better than the other options.

Heineken Helen

TrixieCat wrote:

I agree with more expressive or emotional. I am sorry...I skimmed Didn't read that it said it could lead to bi-polar.
I wasn't aware that you could develop bi-polar.
One thing that most people with true bi-polar experience is they LOVE the high..the manic state. This is one reason why people will go unmedicated because they don't want to lose that. But the other side of the coin, the depressive state, is just as severe and can destroy a person's sense of life.
Just as the manic state can severely damage their life.
Understanding each state is a good way to manage it...at least you are aware of it.

there are definitely elements of my personality that I've had to learn to control over the years... but isn't that part of growing up? Finding out not so good things about yourself and making an effort to change... and I definitely don't feel like there's anything wrong with me... it's just odd to come across a disorder describing a lot of what I am... like it's a BAD thing

I have bad days every couple of months where I'm just a grumpy miserable fucker... but I'm pretty sure that's normal... and it's never severe... just a day or two feeling sorry for myself and not feeling very sociable... but never are there thoughts of suicide or anything very dark at all. Only once in my life was it very very bad about 7 years ago... but I came off the pill and it went... so I don't think that could be used in this kinda diagnosis. So I can honestly say that I've never had severe depression that wasn't medicinal related.

catefrances

TrixieCat wrote:

I agree with more expressive or emotional. I am sorry...I skimmed Didn't read that it said it could lead to bi-polar.
I wasn't aware that you could develop bi-polar.
One thing that most people with true bi-polar experience is they LOVE the high..the manic state. This is one reason why people will go unmedicated because they don't want to lose that. But the other side of the coin, the depressive state, is just as severe and can destroy a person's sense of life.
Just as the manic state can severely damage their life.
Understanding each state is a good way to manage it...at least you are aware of it.

it can kill their life.

you remember trix, when you said in p+p,you knew whyall of the great poets and artists are so tortured and sad...? i was hesitant in replying cause ..well.. you know why... or at least have some inkling... anyhoo... the sadness is depression. when i read your reply in that particular thread i smiled cause i knew what you were getting at and i knew that you were marginally off, cause i live it and i know that i am not 'sad'. i know it is something more. i felt for your feeling at the time but i also knew that many of the artists you spoke of or thought of were deeply depressed. it was more than a case of just being sad and more of a case of being 'not quite right in the head'. i know i am not totally sane and i see parallels in so many people. and i am okay with that. all i ask is that people dont think im just sad. that i will get over it if only i could just be happy. its so much more than that. and i know people dont want to know there are 'psychos' in their midsts.

Heineken Helen

catefrances wrote:

it can kill their life.

you remember trix, when you said in p+p,you knew whyall of the great poets and artists are so tortured and sad...? i was hesitant in replying cause ..well.. you know why... or at least have some inkling... anyhoo... the sadness is depression. when i read your reply in that particular thread i smiled cause i knew what you were getting at and i knew that you were marginally off, cause i live it and i know that i am not 'sad'. i know it is something more. i felt for your feeling at the time but i also knew that many of the artists you spoke of or thought of were deeply depressed. it was more than a case of just being sad and more of a case of being 'not quite right in the head'. i know i am not totally sane and i see parallels in so many people. and i am okay with that. all i ask is that people dont think im just sad. that i will get over it if only i could just be happy. its so much more than that. and i know people dont want to know there are 'psychos' in their midsts.

do you get help? Enough of it? cos it worries me when people post like that... and it's not like I can just pm ya and try to cheer ya up cos I know it's more than that.

dunkman

this thread is getting heavy.. i'm out


weirdly enough i wouldnt have guessed Helen and Cate could be such cranky vitriol-fuelled wenches what with their fine and polite manner on this here forum... they disguise it so well..

TrixieCat

catefrances wrote:

it can kill their life.

you remember trix, when you said in p+p,you knew whyall of the great poets and artists are so tortured and sad...? i was hesitant in replying cause ..well.. you know why... or at least have some inkling... anyhoo... the sadness is depression. when i read your reply in that particular thread i smiled cause i knew what you were getting at and i knew that you were marginally off, cause i live it and i know that i am not 'sad'. i know it is something more. i felt for your feeling at the time but i also knew that many of the artists you spoke of or thought of were deeply depressed. it was more than a case of just being sad and more of a case of being 'not quite right in the head'. i know i am not totally sane and i see parallels in so many people. and i am okay with that. all i ask is that people dont think im just sad. that i will get over it if only i could just be happy. its so much more than that. and i know people dont want to know there are 'psychos' in their midsts.

I just don't choose to dispose of my medical or mental history on a public message board. I was simply responding to something that touched me.
I am well aware of the social stigmas attached with disclosing that you are either in therapy, were in therapy or on medication.

catefrances

dunkman wrote:

this thread is getting heavy.. i'm out


weirdly enough i wouldnt have guessed Helen and Cate could be such cranky vitriol-fuelled wenches what with their fine and polite manner on this here forum... they disguise it so well..

fuck you dunk.

in all honesty duncan you are exactly the type of person i try to steer clear of. you come across as never serious(except when youre ragging on me ) and i cant deal with that.

eyedclaar

Heineken Helen wrote:

do you get help? Enough of it? cos it worries me when people post like that... and it's not like I can just pm ya and try to cheer ya up cos I know it's more than that.

Cate and Helen, I know it isn't polite to ask a woman's age (so I guess it's good that I'm not polite); so, how old are you? I only ask because for me both the highs and lows have leveled out through the years and I can almost guarantee that I was crazier than either of you. I'd share some of the scary lows but nobody would ever talk to me again. I never took any prescription drugs, but I may have smoked (herb) and drank my mind into some form of submission as it doesn't fuck with me so often these days.

dunkman

catefrances wrote:

fuck you dunk.

in all honesty duncan you are exactly the type of person i try to steer clear of. you come across as never serious(except when youre ragging on me ) and i cant deal with that.

i hate being serious.

i'm an ostrich.. if a serious problem arises i bury my head in the sand and it goes away. i also run fast but cant ever fly.

catefrances

TrixieCat wrote:

I just don't choose to dispose of my medical or mental history on a public message board. I was simply responding to something that touched me.
I am well aware of the social stigmas attached with disclosing that you are either in therapy, were in therapy or on medication.

okay. fair enough. i respect that trix. ive come across people that when theyve confronted me ask me how come i cant just be happy, whats wrong with me, they tell me my life isnt that hard. and i can see that my life for the most part isnt that hard except i have difficulty dealing with it. but they dont take into account my mental health. people dont want you to be sad. a while ago i had a friend say to me, but youre not lonely are you cate? and i couldnt answer him. i was lonely, desperately so, but i felt i coldnt tell him that cause i didnt want that clouding his judgement. i wanted him to take me as he had known me, not as someone who freaked out at intervals and did damage to herself. turns out he thought i was too intense anyway and is no longer my friend.
ive never been in therapy, will never be in therapy and will never be on medication. i cant be trusted with drugs. i cope the best way i know how, some are not constructive, in fact some are downright destructive. but i am determined to deal with me the ways i have always.

Heineken Helen

eyedclaar wrote:

Cate and Helen, I know it isn't polite to ask a woman's age (so I guess it's good that I'm not polite); so, how old are you? I only ask because for me both the highs and lows have leveled out through the years and I can almost guarantee that I was crazier than either of you. I'd share some of the scary lows but nobody would ever talk to me again. I never took any prescription drugs, but I may have smoked (herb) and drank my mind into some form of submission as it doesn't fuck with me so often these days.

I'm 28. Like I said though, I've only ever had one really low low and I had one psycho episode years ago that embarrasses me to look back on (even so it wasn't all that bad). I think I may have gone through depression in my early 20s as I went through some pretty serious shit and it was around that time when these things happened. Although to be honest, it would probably be normal for someone to go through depression cos it WAS serious shit.

catefrances

dunkman wrote:

i hate being serious.

i'm an ostrich.. if a serious problem arises i bury my head in the sand and it goes away. i also run fast but cant ever fly.

trust me dunk. you cant be near me and stick your arse in the air. its too much of a temptation.

eyedclaar

Heineken Helen wrote:

I'm 28. Like I said though, I've only ever had one really low low and I had one psycho episode years ago that embarrasses me to look back on (even so it wasn't all that bad). I think I may have gone through depression in my early 20s as I went through some pretty serious shit and it was around that time when these things happened. Although to be honest, it would probably be normal for someone to go through depression cos it WAS serious shit.

I was just getting out of my crazies at 28. 35 now and ten times saner. And thank Waffle, because I found it exhausting. My depression manifested itself as 100% rage.

catefrances

eyedclaar wrote:

Cate and Helen, I know it isn't polite to ask a woman's age (so I guess it's good that I'm not polite); so, how old are you? I only ask because for me both the highs and lows have leveled out through the years and I can almost guarantee that I was crazier than either of you. I'd share some of the scary lows but nobody would ever talk to me again. I never took any prescription drugs, but I may have smoked (herb) and drank my mind into some form of submission as it doesn't fuck with me so often these days.

im 43. and as ive gotten older its got worse. or maybe ive allowed it free reign. alls i know is im tired of pretending im okay. i know im not and people who coem into my orbit are gonna have to deal with that, if they cant then they need to fuck off and leave me alone.