What are the symptoms of Mania and Hypomania ?
Mania causes an abnormally ‘high’ or irritable mood which lasts at least one week – but usually lasts much longer than this. It can develop quite quickly – over a few days or so. When one is ‘high’ one will usually have at least 3 or 4 of the following: • Grand ideas about oneself and one’s own self importance. • Increased energy. One also tends to move quickly and need less sleep than usual. • Be more talkative than usual. One tends to talk quickly. • ‘Flight of ideas’. One tends to quickly change from one idea to another. One may feel as if one’s thoughts are racing. • Easily distracted. One’s attention is easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant things. • Full of new ideas and plans. Often the plans are grandiose and unrealistic. • Irritation or agitation, particularly with people who do not seem to understand one’s ‘great’ ideas and plans. • Wanting to do lots of pleasurable things (but these can often lead to painful consequences). For example, one may: • Spend a lot of money (wh
