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Hypomania (Part two)

What does hypomania feel and look like?

What hypomania feels like and looks like will be different for each person. Some examples of things you might feel and/or do include:

• Get into an intense cleaning frenzy and clean all surfaces of every room in your house.
• Stay up late or don’t go to bed at all and feel rested in the next morning.
• Start projects and work non-stop on them for 20 hours straight.
• Feel that you can’t fail at anything you want to do, even if you have no training or experience.
• Call and text all your friends all day and night and post a large number of pictures and comments on social media.
• Jumping from subject to subject when talking, and talking very fast.

What causes hypomania?

Scientists aren’t completely sure what causes hypomania. There are several factors that are thought to contribute. Causes differ from person to person. Including;

• Family history. If you have a family member with bipolar disorder you have an increased chance of developing mania. This is not a surety. You may never develop mania even if those in your family have.
• Chemical imbalance in your brain.
• Side effect of a medication (often caused by antidepressants), alcohol or recreational drugs.
• A significant change in your life, such as a divorce or death of a loved one.
• Difficult life situations, such as trauma or abuse, or problems with housing, money or loneliness.
• High stress level and inability to manage it.
• Lack of sleep or changes in sleep pattern.
• As a list of health problems including cyclothymia, seasonal affective disorder, postpartum psychosis, schizoaffective disorder, or a number of neurologic conditions such as brain injury, brain tumors, stroke, dementia, lupus or encephalitis.

Diagnosis and Tests

Your healthcare provider will ask about your medical history, family medical history, current prescriptions and non-prescription medications and any herbal products or supplements you take. Your provider may order blood tests and body scans to rule out other conditions that may mimic mania. One such condition is hyperthyroidism. If other diseases and conditions are ruled out, your provider may refer you to a mental health specialist

Management and Treatment

Hypomania is treated with psychotherapy, antipsychotic medications and mood stabilizers.

Psychotherapy involves a variety of techniques. During a session you’ll talk with a mental health professional who will help you identify hypomania symptoms and triggers and learn ways to cope with or deal with the effects of hypomanic episodes.

Hypomania without medications. If your hypomania is mild, you may be able to cope without medications. Your healthcare provider may suggest having a greater focus on self-care to stay as healthy as possible. Including;

• Go to bed at the same time each night and get plenty of sleep.
• Avoid stimulating triggers such as coffee, tea, colas, sugar, noisy and crowded environments.
• Eat a healthy diet.
• Get plenty of exercise. Even two short walks a day is beneficial.
• Don’t use illegal or recreational drugs or alcohol.
• Learn ways to relax. Yoga, meditation, listening to calming music, aromatherapy.
• Take all medications as prescribed. If you think you’re having side effects or new side effects to a medication, call your provider. Never stop taking or change the dose of a prescription medication without talking to your doctor first. Make sure they know all supplements, herbal products and vitamins you take.
• You might find it helpful to talk with other people who have similar medical issues.

Prevention

Episodes of hypomania can’t always be prevented. There are ways to better manage your symptoms and prevent them from getting worse.

Keeping a journal to become more self-aware of triggers. Sometimes you can’t recognize your own triggers. Confide in close family and friends to help identify changes in your mood, behavior and energy level that is different from your usual self.

Hypomania can be frustrating to deal with. As is life with a mental illness, it takes patience and practice and a lot of self-awareness to live with hypomania or even manic episodes. It has taken me years to be able to cope well with these symptoms. Even now after all these years of experience, I still have family that point out to me from time to time and let me know the changes in my behavior. I don’t always realize when I am in the thick of it. Once realized, I can usually direct my thoughts to positive and productive activities. I have to be honest though, some of my most creative ideas and my best work is done when in a hypomanic episode. So, living with the illness doesn’t always have to be bad or negative. You can turn it into something meaningful and not dread the idea of being under the rule of the disease.