What is hypomania? (Part one)
Hypomania is when you have a period of unusual, elevated, extreme changes in your mood or emotions, energy level or activity level. This energized amount of energy, mood and behavior has to be a change from your usual self and be noticeable by others in order to be diagnosed with hypomania. Hypomania is a symptom of bipolar disorder but can also be a symptom of other mental health conditions.
Triggers of a hypomanic episode;
The individual’s triggers can be different. Some common triggers include:
A highly stimulating situation or environment (e.g., lots of noise, bright lights, large crowds).
A major life change (e.g., divorce, marriage, job loss).
Lack of sleep.
Substance use, such as recreational drugs or alcohol.
It’s smart to develop a list of your triggers to know when a hypomanic episode may be starting. Since hypomania doesn’t cause severe changes in your activity level, mood or behavior, it may be helpful to ask family and close friends who you trust and have close contact with to help identify your triggers. They may notice changes from your usual self-more easily than you do. Share your trigger list with your close, trusted friends so they can tell when you might need help.
What happens after a hypomanic episode?
After a hypomanic episode you may:
Feel happy or embarrassed about your behavior.
Feel overwhelmed by all the activities you’ve agreed to take on.
Have only a few or unclear memories of what happened during your manic episode.
Feel very tired and need sleep.
Feel depressed (if your hypomania is part of bipolar disorder).
The symptoms of hypomania are;
The same but less intense than mania. Hypomanic symptoms, which vary from person to person, include:
Having an abnormally high level of activity or energy.
Feeling extremely happy, excited.
Not sleeping or only getting a few hours of sleep but still feel rested.
Having an inflated self-esteem, thinking you’re invincible.
Being more talkative than usual. Talking so much and so fast that others can’t interrupt.
Having racing thoughts — having lots of thoughts on lots of topics at the same time (called a “flight of ideas”).
Being easily distracted by unimportant or unrelated things.
Being obsessed with and completely absorbed in an activity you’re focus on.
Displaying purposeless movements, such as pacing around your home or office or fidgeting when you’re sitting.
Showing impulsive behavior that can lead to poor choices, such as buying sprees, reckless sex or foolish business investments.
For me, the most noticeable symptom of hypomania is having lots of thoughts on lots of topics at the same time. Flight of ideas vaguely describes the power of the brain in entertaining so many thoughts at one time. It is not normal. It is different than having a lot on your mind. It is a very detailed process that entails using all of your attention to those jumbled thoughts. During an episode of hypomania, I find it very difficult to concentrate on the task that I should be engaged in. I call it “noise”. It is very distracting and difficult to manage at times. Over time, I have become able to focus on those thoughts and lend some of that focus on other tasks, such as work responsibilities. The distracting thoughts don’t entirely go away. Rather, I am able to organize and dial in on the important or necessary thoughts that I should be thinking about. I find that many times I can hone in on details that I would otherwise miss out on when not in this expanded thought process. The difference for me when in a hypomanic episode versus a manic episode is that the “noise” is much like watching a television when there is no reception when in a manic episode. The channel looks like snow and then there is the sound of static. Maybe I am showing my age, but when channel three used to be on it was as I have described. Being manic is much more troubling and causes significant issues in my everyday life. Mania is more intense and sometimes lasts for months on end.
The difference between feeling good vs hypomania;
It takes time to know the difference. Everyone enjoys being happy and feeling good. But
feeling good doesn’t always mean you are good. Over time, you’ll start to understand yourself and learn the warning signs that you may be starting to have an elevated mood that is different than just feeling good.
Ask family and close friends who you trust, and have frequent contact with, to give you feedback. Ask them to tell you when they see beyond normal changes in your mood or behaviors.
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