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Mania and manic episodes are among the many symptoms of a mood disorder known as bipolar disorder. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, bipolar disorder is “a mental illness that causes unusual shifts in a person’s mood, energy, activity levels, and concentration.” There are three types of bipolar disorder: bipolar I, bipolar II and cyclothymic disorder. “Bipolar disorder is often diagnosed during late adolescence (teen years) or early adulthood.”
What is Mania?
Mania is a condition that results from bipolar disorder in which your mood is abnormally elevated. It can also result in “extreme changes in your mood or emotions, energy level or activity level,” according to The Cleveland Clinic. For your mood to be considered manic, it must be elevated to a point that is noticeable by others and is also considered outside the normal realm of your “typical” behavior.
Symptoms of Mania
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, there are several symptoms that come with a manic episode. These include:
- Feeling very up, high, elated, or extremely irritable or touchy
- Feeling jumpy or wired, more active than usual
- Insomnia or need for very little sleep
- Talking fast about a lot of different things (“flight of ideas”)
- Racing thoughts
- Feeling able to do many things at once without getting tired
- Having an excessive need for pleasure seeking activities
- An abnormal about of confidence or highly elevated sense of self
What Does Mania Look Like?
When someone is experiencing mania, they are typically very excitable or very irritable. Insomnia is a common side effect of manic episodes which makes mood regulation that much more difficult. As said above, to be considered manic, one must have noticeably different behavior than their everyday selves. This could look like extreme happiness or irritation. Often, people who are experiencing mania will have big, outlandish ideas like “get rich quick schemes” but the idea doesn’t really make much sense. For instance, a person who is manic decides to launch an online course and is convinced they will have 500,000 subscribers overnight, even though they have never taught anything before. Another example might be writing excessively and exhaustively or doing obsessive amounts of research on a new topic.
Is Mania Always Caused by Another Condition?
From what research has shown, mania is considered a symptom of other mental health conditions. According to the Cleveland Clinic, these can include:
- Bipolar I disorder (the most common condition for mania to occur).
- Seasonal affective disorder.
- Postpartum psychosis.
- Schizoaffective disorder.
- Cyclothymia.
What Triggers Mania?
According to medical professionals, there is no singular cause that triggers mania. However, there are often warning signs that can be tracked with a mood diary or journal. Medical professionals recommend people with bipolar disorder, or a similar condition, take the time to track their moods. This way, it is possible to identify various triggers for mania.
Common triggers of mania include:
- A highly stimulating situation or environment (for example, lots of noise, bright lights or large crowds).
- A major life change (such as divorce, marriage or job loss).
- Lack of sleep.
- Substance use, such as recreational drugs or alcohol.
Mania can be extremely dangerous when not treated. An inflated sense of self can cause an individual to feel invincible and take part in extremely reckless behaviors. If family or loved ones notice an abnormal shift in your mood, seek medical help at once. This way, your doctor or doctors can prescribe medications that will help to balance your mood and keep you out of harm's way.
Want to learn more about conditions where mania is a symptom? Join us on the PatientsLikeMe platform in the Mental Health and Behavior discussion thread. We look forward to seeing you there!